Mombasa and Isiolo Counties Crime, Violence and Prevention Survey (Popular Version)
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CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION TRAINING MOMBASA AND ISIOLO COUNTIES CRIME, VIOLENCE AND PREVENTION SURVEY (POPULAR VERSION) Kennedy Mkutu, Elizabeth Otieno, Victoria Gioto, Gerard Wandera, Obondo Kajumbi and Sabine Palmreuther Foreword These rapid assessment surveys were carried out in Isiolo and Mombasa Counties in May and June 2017 under the “Crime and Violence Prevention Training (CVPT)” project funded by the World Bank. The survey explored dynamics of crime and violence in those counties, risk factors and protective factors, and potentials for prevention. The research sought to inform the CVPT, a month-long course which has been run annually in Kenya since 2011 as a collaborative project between United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) and Kenya School of Government (KSG) joined latterly by National Crime Research Centre (NCRC). During its first 5 years, the project was sponsored by Open Society Initiative East Africa (OSIEA) as part of its Crime and Violence Prevention Initiative in the region, and is now sponsored by the World Bank. Coffey International has also been a funding partner. The project has evolved over time to equip a wide range of relevant actors at the county level in response to Kenya’s devolved government structure since 2013. County surveys now precede training courses in order to contextualize the training curriculum and provide common ground for discussion and learning. Acknowledgements We are grateful for the support for this project from the World Bank and to all informants from the various sectors of national and county government, security, civil society, businesses and communities who assisted in providing the information in this document. It was evident that many are concerned to build their counties for the future and create safer and healthier societies for all Kenyans. Thank you to those who assisted the research in Mombasa and Isiolo, Mrs Riziki Mwakusirikwa of Sauti ya Wamama Bishop Obuya, formerly from the Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics, PhD candidate John Githiongo, Mr. Adan Haro Denge, Sub-County Administrator, Isiolo County and Mr. Halkano Boru of the United Nations Development Program. The work was greatly enhanced by the comments of peer reviewers who we would like to thank: Stavros (Aki) Stavrou, Neelam Nizar Verjee, Erik Alda and inputs from Margarita Puerto Gomez, Muratha Kinuthia and Wendy Schreiber Ayres. Thanks lastly to Tessa Mkutu for editing the work. Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4 Background: Crime and Violence Trends in Kenya ............................................................ 18 Mombasa Survey ............................................................................................................. 25 County Overview .......................................................................................................... 25 Cross-Cutting Drivers of Crime and Violence ................................................................ 26 Dynamics of Crime and Violence .................................................................................. 29 Security Interventions .................................................................................................. 48 Crime and Violence Prevention Activities ..................................................................... 54 Isiolo Survey ..................................................................................................................... 61 County Overview .......................................................................................................... 61 Cross Cutting Drivers of Crime and Violence ................................................................. 62 Dynamics of Crime and Violence .................................................................................. 76 Security Interventions ................................................................................................ 101 Crime and Violence Prevention Activities ................................................................... 105 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................113 References ......................................................................................................................118 Appendices .....................................................................................................................130 Introduction High rates of crime and violence across the world are undermining growth, threatening human welfare, and impeding social development, particularly affecting the poor and vulnerable. Globally, one in five people have been a victim of violence and crime.1 The term crime means different things to different people. Haskell and Yablonsky have pointed out that to members of the legal profession, a crime is an illegal act, while some social scientists tend to equate the term with all behavior that is injurious to society. 2 Simply put, crime refers to behavior, either by act or omission, defined by statutory or common law as deserving of punishment. The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation.” There are various classifications of crime and violence. Crimes can either be classified based on the potential penalty to be imposed, e.g., felonies, misdemeanors, etc., or on the subject matter, e.g., crimes against persons, crimes against property, etc. Violence can be grouped into categories based on variables, such as: agents of violence (e.g., gangs, youth, and collective groups); victims of violence (e.g., women, children, minority groups; the relationship between aggressor and victim (e.g., interpersonal, non- related); perceived causality (e.g., psychopathological, situational, and learned); and type of harm (e.g., physical, psychological, and sexual).3 Some root causes identified include: rapid urbanization, persistent poverty and inequality, social exclusion, and post-conflict cultures, among others; urban residents, the poor and those living in marginalized neighborhoods must cope with a particularly high incidence of crime and violence. Many countries in Africa have become increasingly concerned with soaring levels of crime and violence, which come in a variety of forms, such as youth violence, gender-based violence, and, in general, high levels of criminal victimization—robberies, assaults, and thefts, among others.4 The costs of crime and violence are significant, ranging from direct costs such as destroyed public infrastructure, future costs of physical and mental health care, to indirect costs including productivity losses, population displacement, and overall welfare costs. 5 Further, social multiplier effects portend the far-reaching ramifications of crime and violence, by measuring the impact in such areas as the erosion of social assets, intergenerational transfer of violence, reduction in quality of life, and decrease in public confidence in government and its institutions. 1 UN Habitat (2013) 2 Haskell and Yablonsky (1983) 3 See http://www.who.int/violenceprevention/approach/definition/en/ 4 World Bank (2009) 5 Ibid. 4 A preventative approach to crime and violence has been increasingly recognized, enacted in violence prevention laws, and promoted in recent years as part of an efficient and effective response to the ravages of crime and violence.6 The underlying assumption is that, Crime prevention strategies not only prevent crime and victimization, but also promote community safety and contribute to sustainable development of countries. Effective, responsible crime prevention enhances the quality of life of all citizens. It has long-term benefits in terms of reducing the costs associated with the formal criminal justice system, as well as other social costs that result from crime.7 Crime and violence prevention involves a detailed look at the factors which are involved in crime and violence, both risk factors and protective factors. WHO and its partners have identified 7 key strategies, based on growing evidence, which will help to prevent crime and violence. These are: Developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers; Developing life skills in children and adolescents; Reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol; Reducing access to guns and knives; Promoting gender equality to prevent violence against women; Changing cultural and social norms that support violence; Victim identification, care and support programs.8 Holtmann (2011) describes this process as ‘building protective social layers’, which contributes to resilience against both victimization and offending behaviors. It is a multi-faceted endeavor that calls for extensive planning and strategizing. Successful prevention techniques target the underlying causes of violent behavior: spatial environments, family structures, and education. Holtmann, while referring to South Africa, argues, “We can only expect safety when we take collective responsibility for re-building our social system to mitigate the ravages of the social engineering of the past.”9 This is arguably also applicable to most of Africa. The often-cited