Kenya faces significant challenges related to crime, with varying degrees of prevalence across different regions. Understanding the nature and extent of crime in Kenya is crucial for both residents and visitors.
Map of Kenya showing different regions.
Overview of Crime in Kenya
There is a significant crime rate in all regions of Kenya. Petty offences are the most common crime, with stealing being the most reported crime. Robbery and theft are among the least cited criminal offences. Despite the reported low crime rate, Kenya faces significant challenges with organised crime, with many gangs working with corrupt police officers and sometimes even the government. However, crime in Kenya often goes unreported, and police may lack the training or experience to effectively respond to crimes.
Kenya has a criminality score of 7.02 on the Organised Crime Index, the 16th-most in the world, an improvement from 11th in 2021. In general, crime rates in Kenya are much lower outside of Nairobi.
Kenya is generally safe for tourist travel, provided they follow their country's travel advisory. However, robbery targeting tourists does occur.
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Regional Security and Peace Initiatives
Although sometimes confused with the similarly named North Rift Valley region, where cattle rustling and banditry are common, the separate North Eastern Province has been relatively peaceful since the appointment of its former Provincial Commissioner, Mohamoud Saleh. During his time in office, Saleh established an effective security committee consisting of clan elders and leaders and worked closely with community members to ensure security. Owing to the success of this "Saleh Strategy", in 2010, the Garissa Peace and Development Committee (GPDC) hosted several high-level delegations from adjacent nations such as Uganda and shared its experiences in community building.
Corruption and Bribery
In 2006, it was estimated the average urban Kenyan pays 16 bribes per month. Most of these bribes are fairly small, but large ones are also taken - bribes worth over KSh.50,000/= (€600, US$700) account for 41% of the total value.
Kenyan Prison Service
The Kenyan Prison Service was not established until 1911 under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Heritage, and Sports. Then in 1917, it was decided to name people to the jobs of Commissioner of Prisons and Assistant Commissioner of Prisons. This now caused the responsibility and management of prisons to be solely controlled by the Commissioner. The current Head of Prison Administration in Kenya is Isaiah Samuel Osugo, who oversees all 108 prisons that are located in Kenya.
Political Violence and Armed Conflicts
Throughout the history of Kenya, there has been a long-running tab of corruption and violence that has taken place in the country, which has made an indelible mark on its political system. Violence perpetrated by armed groups in Kenya disrupts stability in the region. From 9 December 2023 to 12 January 2024, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) recorded 71 political violence events and 59 reported fatalities in Kenya.
The most common event types were riots and violence against civilians, with 26 recorded events, followed by battles, with 16 events.
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Terrorism and Al-Shabaab
On 25 October 2016, 12 people were killed in the town of Mandera by Al-Shabaab in a guest house that hosted a theatre group. This underscores the impact of systemic corruption within security forces on the Kenyan people.
Referred to as the "Kenyan Mujahideen" by Al-Shabaab's core members, the converts are typically young and overzealous, and being impoverished makes them easier targets for the outfit's recruitment activities. Because the Kenyan insurgents have a different profile from the Somali and Arab militants that allows them to blend in with the general population of Kenya, they are also often harder to track.
Drug Abuse and Trafficking
Drug abuse has become a major issue in Kenya, especially in Mombasa, which is affected by this issue more than any other part of the country. Young men in their early 20s have been the most affected demographic. In Mombasa and Kilindini, there are approximately 40 maskani (meaning "places" in Swahili) where drug abusers meet to share drugs. Bhang smoking has until recently been the drug of choice, but heroin injection is becoming increasingly popular.
In addition to drug abuse, the trafficking of illegal drugs in the country has become a major issue as well.
Wildlife Crime and Poaching
There are a wide variety of wildlife species in Kenya, whose habitats are threatened by encroachment of human development and destruction. In rural Kenya, poachers are one of the main threats to endangered animals.
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Michael Werikhe aka Rhino Man, made huge contributions to early Kenyan wildlife conservation. Werikhe walked thousands of kilometres and raised millions of dollars to fund White Rhino conservation projects. The Blue Wildebeest is currently abundant, but like other more endangered species feels the pressure of habitat reduction.
Wildlife facing threats to poaching and trophy hunting include lions, elephants, gazelles, and rhinos. In February 2020, poachers in Kenya killed two white giraffes. The female white giraffe and her calf were found dead in Garissa County, in the North-East part of the country. There now remains only one male, white giraffe left in the world.
The rare white giraffe.
Comparative Crime Rates and Influencing Factors
Crime rates vary greatly from country to country and are influenced by many factors. For example, high poverty levels and unemployment tend to inflate a country’s crime rate. Conversely, strict police enforcement and severe sentences tend to reduce crime rates. Overall crime rate is calculated by dividing the total number of reported crimes of any kind by the total population, then multiplying the result by 100,000 (because crime rate is typically reported as X number of crimes per 100,000 people).
Crime rates are influenced by several factors, such as poverty, unemployment, and law enforcement strictness. Countries like Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa have high crime rates due to issues like corruption, economic changes, and social challenges. Low crime rates in countries like Switzerland and Japan are attributed to effective law enforcement and in some cases, restrictive gun laws.
Some of the world’s lowest crime rates are seen in Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Japan, and New Zealand.
Countries with High Crime Rates
- Venezuela: Has a crime index of 82.1, the highest globally. It is unsafe to travel to the country.
- Papua New Guinea: Has a crime index of 80.4, with violent crime fueled by social, economic, and political changes.
- Afghanistan: Faces crime in various forms, including corruption, drug trafficking, and kidnapping.
- Haiti: Experiences flourishing gang violence due to political instability.
- South Africa: Has a notably high rate of assaults, rape, homicides, and other violent crimes.
- Honduras: Ranks sixth globally in crime rate, with weak domestic law enforcement facilitating the illegal drug trade.
- Trinidad and Tobago: Faces challenges in reducing crime due to bureaucratic resistance, gangs, drugs, and an overburdened legal system.
- Syria: Experiences organized crime worsened by civil war, revolving around drug production and trafficking.
- Guyana: Has a high murder rate and frequent armed robberies.
- Peru: Is heavily influenced by the cocaine trade, making it rank among the top in Latin America.
Brazil had the seventh-highest crime rate in the world in 2020 with exceptionally high rates of violent crimes. Number ten on the 2020 list of countries with the highest crime rates was Jamaica, which is still plagued by government corruption, gang activity, and high levels of violent crime, including sexual assault.
Nairobi's Evolving Security Landscape
Combating Crime In Nairobi
For years Nairobi was spoken of in the same breath as Johannesburg or Lagos, two of Africa’s most dangerous cities. A survey in 2000 suggested that Nairobians were more likely to be robbed or assaulted than people who lived in central Johannesburg. Not much had changed by the 2010s. Robert Ochola, a Kenyan security wonk, says the gangs which emerged in the middle of that decade were so lawless “they would rob their own relatives.”
Kenyan tabloids still paint their capital as hopelessly crime-ridden. And official statistics suggest little improvement. But speak to experts as well as ordinary residents-not to mention the city’s perennially security-conscious expats-and a different picture emerges. Stories of “home invasions” in wealthy neighbourhoods are much rarer than a decade ago. It is now generally considered safe to drive, if not yet walk, at night in all but the most notorious neighbourhoods. Mrs Ali’s part of the central business district is no longer deemed a no-go zone. “Violent crime has gone down overall,” says Mutuma Ruteere, director of the National Crime Research Centre and the country’s foremost crime expert. “We’ve come from ‘Nairobbery’ to a fairly safe city.”
Factors Contributing to Improved Security
New technologies, including the spread of CCTV, have probably helped. More controversial is whether Kenya’s police force can take any credit. In 2009 its reputation for corruption and lawlessness was so terrible that the UN dispatched a special rapporteur to investigate it. (The resulting report denounced the use of police death squads to eliminate suspects and a “climate of impunity”.) Even today few Kenyans believe their cops do much to prevent crime. Statistics on wrongdoing are so unreliable largely because most poor Kenyans do not trust the police enough to report it.
Kenyans do, however, seem often to approve of their more heavy-handed tactics. When lawlessness in the central business district runs amok, says Benjamin Maina, a shop-owner there, the police “kill two to three people, and once they do that, crime completely goes down.” These kinds of execution-style killings have a long history, dating back to the early days of Kenya’s independence (and, indeed, before). In the 2000s an undercover squad of killer cops was credited with dismantling some of Kenya’s most notorious gangs, such as the Mungiki sect, which at its peak is thought to have had over a million members. Sometimes they killed innocent people, but overall “these guys were really effective at combating crime,” argues Mr Ochola.
Government and Police Reforms
The current government has tried to scrub up the police’s image. William Ruto, Kenya’s president since 2022, disbanded an elite special unit soon after taking office, accusing it of “killing Kenyans arbitrarily”. He also offered to send 400 officers to gang-racked Haiti to lead an international peacekeeping mission. In June America designated Kenya a “major non-NATO ally”, the first in sub-Saharan Africa.
But their overseas deployment has put Kenya’s police in the international spotlight just as they have been dealing with demonstrations back home against Mr Ruto’s proposed tax rises. The ensuing crackdown, in which police have so far killed scores of protesters, and abducted dozens more, reveals how little there actually is to show for 15 years of police reform. And a growing number of police are involved in criminality themselves, such as human trafficking or lending their guns to gangs.
Community Policing and Local Initiatives
Still, there have been some improvements. Over the past two decades the police have received gradually higher pay and more resources. This has helped reduce some of the worst corruption in their ranks, says John Githongo, an anti-graft campaigner. Others point to the growth of community policing, initiatives to improve relations between cops and the people they serve. Giving residents more ownership over their own security has helped make poorer areas safer, argues Kennedy Odede of shofco, an NGO working in Kenyan slums. In such places the spread of neighbourhood watches, community justice centres and self-help groups among former gang members may have done more than the police to reduce crime.
Some local efforts simply fill a vacuum where the state should be. In rich areas, security is overwhelmingly the job of private firms, not the police. Streetlights, which make it safer to walk around at night, are typically installed by residents, not the government. And in some areas, justice is often handed down by vigilantes, not the courts. Mrs Ali reckons “mob justice” is the main reason crime is down in her neighbourhood. Videos of lynchings in which suspected criminals are forced inside burning tyres appear on social media.
Underlying Causes of Crime
The prevalence of such practices points to a deeper problem. Currently, when crime spikes in one area, the police or local mobs move in and use force to contain it. That may work temporarily. But the more fundamental causes of crime-which include high levels of inequality and youth unemployment-are far harder to fix.
Intentional Homicides in Kenya
Kenya registered a homicide rate of 4.93 homicides per 100,000 people in 2018. The rate kept relatively stable in comparison to the previous year. It reached a peak of 5.38 homicides per 100,000 people in 2013. Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups.
Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.
Travel Advice and Safety Measures
There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. There is a heightened threat of terrorism across Kenya. Attacks could target westerners, including British nationals. These could occur at any time including at religious events, public holidays or celebrations. Be particularly alert in these places. If you go regularly to any location, try to vary timings and patterns of movement. Always travel during daylight hours if possible. Look at the security arrangements in buildings you visit, including bag searches, physical security and guards.
The main terrorist threat is from extremists linked to Al Shabaab - an Al Qaida-affiliated militant group in Somalia. Al Shabaab has issued threats and carried out attacks against Kenya, in part, due to Kenyan military intervention in Somalia. There is some evidence of growing support for Daesh (formerly ISIL) in Kenya.
Travellers to Lamu Island and Manda Island should be particularly vigilant given the close proximity of these islands to the Lamu County mainland. You should only travel to the islands by air to Lamu airport (a civilian airport on Manda Island), and not by road. There is a high threat of terrorist kidnap across Kenya. You should be alert to the heightened threat of terrorist kidnapping targeting westerners, including British nationals. Westerners have been the target of kidnaps in northern counties bordering Somalia and coastal counties. Further kidnaps are very likely.
British nationals are seen as legitimate targets, including tourists, humanitarian aid workers, journalists and business travellers. The long-standing policy of the British government is not to make substantive concessions to hostage takers. The British government considers that paying ransoms and releasing prisoners builds the capability of terrorist groups and finances their activities. This can, in turn, increase the risk of further hostage-taking.
General Safety Tips
- Stay away from political gatherings and large crowds and monitor local media to see when and where major protests are likely.
- Avoid walking alone in isolated areas, including in daylight.
- Be aware of your surroundings and make sure people know where you are and when you are due to return.
- Be vigilant at bus stations, railway stations and airports.
- If you’re attacked, do not resist.
- Always drive with windows closed and doors locked.
- When driving outside of cities and in remote areas, consider driving in convoy.
- Avoid driving at night if possible.
- Beware of thieves posing as police officers or private security guards.
- Do not accept drinks or food from strangers in bars or clubs.
- Be cautious when using social media and dating apps.
Other Important Considerations
- You must always carry ID.
- Show courtesy by dressing conservatively away from tourist resorts and hotels - particularly in Mombasa.
- It is illegal to smoke in any public place in Kenya, except in designated smoking areas.
- If you’re convicted of using illegal drugs in Kenya, you will get a heavy fine and prison sentence. The penalty for possession is up to 10 years in prison.
- It is illegal to take photographs of official buildings, including embassies, or at airports.
- Same-sex sexual activity is illegal and same-sex relationships are not tolerated in Kenya’s conservative society.
- It is illegal to buy, sell, kill or capture any protected wild animal or trade any of its parts without a licence.
- Use reputable tour operators and arrive at your destination in daylight hours if visiting game reserves.
- Hire a local guide on certain hikes in Kenya.
- Be conscious of the risk from wildlife and do not approach wild animals.
Driving standards are often poor. For travel between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Nairobi City, use the Mombasa Road or the Nairobi Expressway. The Mombasa Road can get very busy during rush hour, and check-in can take several hours. Allow plenty of time to get to the airport. Monitor local media and take care in all remote areas.
There have been serious accidents involving long-distance buses and minibuses (‘matatus’). The accidents are often due to poor maintenance and speeding. Often minibuses are uninsured. On-the-spot fines from traffic police are common but illegal.
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