The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in Kenya

The briefing examines the mutual distrust between the Kenyan government and civil society organisations (CSOs), arguing that CSOs are essential for enforcing good governance, transparency, and accountability within the security sector. It highlights the role of CSOs in community policing and human rights advocacy while identifying barriers such as poor governance and a lack of political will. The document recommends that CSOs be used as platforms for public debate and the setting of norms to guide government actions.

• The relationship between the Kenyan government and civil society is characterized by mutual suspicion; civil society views state security instruments as oppressive, while the government views civil society as a threat to state security or as representing foreign interests.
• Civil society in Kenya has contributed to security sector governance through specific activities including community policing, the regularisation of the private security sector, monitoring the judiciary, and advocacy regarding human rights abuses and small arms and light weapons (SALWs).
• Several barriers hinder the effectiveness of civil society in Kenya, including poor governance, a lack of political will, an acrimonious relationship with the government, and the exclusion of the poor from the security sector governance agenda despite being disproportionately impacted by insecurity.
• Locally-based civil society organisations provide a critical link to marginalised communities by combining conventional security sector governance with indigenous methods grounded in local customs and practices.

APA

Oxche, T.-R. (2009). The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/the-role-of-civil-society-in-security-sector-governance-in-kenya

Chicago

Oxche, Tarrin-Rae. The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in Kenya. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/the-role-of-civil-society-in-security-sector-governance-in-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Oxche |first1=Tarrin-Rae |title=The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in Kenya |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=6 March 2009 |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/the-role-of-civil-society-in-security-sector-governance-in-kenya |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{oxche2009role, author = {Oxche, Tarrin-Rae}, title = {{The Role of Civil Society in Security Sector Governance in Kenya}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/the-role-of-civil-society-in-security-sector-governance-in-kenya}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }