International Journal of Research and Review Vol.7; Issue: 11; November 2020 Website: www.ijrrjournal.com Research Paper E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Structure of Eastern African Standby Force in Maintaining Peace and Security in Kenya and Somalia Robert Gichangi Kabage1, Prof. Kennedy Onkware2, Prof. Crispinous Iteyo3 1,2,3Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, P.O Box 190-50100, Kakamega Corresponding Author: Robert Gichangi Kabage ABSTRACT security of its members through political and military means. The overall organ is the Structural issues marred intrastate conflicts in North Atlantic Council. This is the highest the early nineties thus challenging regional decision making entity and is comprised of security. This prompted the need for a collective the Representative Ambassadors of the regional response. Further, this explains the Allied countries. Other organs are the formation of a number of regional security mechanisms such as EASF with a mandate to Military Committee, which is comprised of maintain peace and security in the Eastern the Defence Chiefs of Staff of the Allied Africa region. Despite over a decade of its countries, to which the Allied Command existence, the EASF efforts to tackle the Operation and Allied Transformation seemingly intractable peace and security Command report. The third organ is the dilemmas in the region and especially in Kenya International Staff and the International and Somalia have remained elusive and Military Staff, which prepares plans and insignificant, making it more of a bystander. directs operations. As an organization, This study sought to address this gap. NATO has very few permanent own forces Specifically, the study examined the structure of and so when the Atlantic Alliance decides to Eastern African Standby Force. The study was launch an operation; the Member States underpinned by regional Security Complex theory. provide military forces voluntarily (Jack et al, 2009). Keywords: Eastern African Standby Force, At the continental level, Darkwa EASF, peace, security, Kenya, Somalia (2017) observes that a similar hierarchical structure exists in ECOWAS. To be able to I. INTRODUCTION articulate its mandate of promoting peace Minterzberg (1972), in his book, and economic integration of the constituting “The structures of an organization” countries, ECOWAS is organized with three explains structure as the system that is used arms of governance. They include the to define the hierarchy within the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. organization that establishes how it operates At the helm of the structure is the Chairman to execute its goals. It involves the jobs, the of the Authority of Heads of State and processes, the people and groups making Government, who is appointed by other efforts to achieve its goals. Jack et al Heads of State and Government to oversee (2009), when analyzing the structure of and coordinate the affairs of the NATO, reiterates that the organization is organization for a period of one year. Others structured with international political and are the Council of Ministers, the military organs, to be able to undertake its Community Tribunal, the Community Court role of guaranteeing the freedom and of Justice, the Executive Secretariat, the International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 446 Vol.7; Issue: 11; November 2020 Robert Gichangi Kabage et.al. Structure of Eastern African Standby Force in maintaining peace and security in Kenya and Somalia ECOWAS Parliament, and the Specialized explicates how security is clustered in Commissions to include one on Peace and geographically slated regions. It avouches security (Agyapong, 2005). that security concerns do not travel well At the sub regional level in the East over distance and threats are therefore, African region, Ligawa (2015), opines that mostly linked and witnessed in the geo- the EAC, being a sub-regional political regions, hence affirming security intergovernmental organization of the interdependence. The Regional Security Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Complex Theory underpinned this study in South Sudan, Uganda and the United the sense that, it helped unravel the Republic of Tanzania, is structured with intricacies surrounding the structure of seven main Organs. They comprise the EASF effectiveness in maintaining peace Summit, the Council of Ministers, the Co- and security in the region and specifically in coordinating Committee, the Sectoral Kenya and Somalia. It also endeavoured to Committees, the East African Court of explain whether structural aspects affect Justice, the East African Legislative EASF’s mandate. Assembly and the Secretariat. Each of these organs undertakes specified functions to III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY enable the organization achieve its mandate This study adopted descriptive of widening and deepening co-operation research design. Orodho (2003) defines among the partner states and other regional descriptive design as a method of collecting economic communities in, among others, information by interviewing or political, economic and social fields for administering questionnaire to a sample their mutual benefit (Ligawa, 2015). population to get their attitude, opinion and To be able to achieve its mandate of habits on any variety of educational or maintaining peace and security in the EAR, social issues. This design was used to this study found out that EASF is also describe the demographic elements under organized with a structure that establishes study. It gave a detailed account of how it operates to execute its goals. The demographic characteristics of the structure constitutes the Planning Element respondents to the study. The descriptive (PLANELM), the Early Warning Systems approach aided in describing the status of (EWS), the Mediation and Negotiation the variables in objective one while showing capability, the political and geo-political how the variables relate in the natural systems as well as the Mission Support setting (Creswell, 2009). Descriptive capabilities and the Logistics Base research design was employed to describe (Kimathi, 2010). the structure of EASF. It described the structure as the system that is used to define II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK the hierarchy within the organization that This study was underpinned by establishes how it operates to execute its Regional Security Complex Theory goals, for instance, EASF planning element, (RSCT).This theory was advanced by early warning system, and negotiation and Buzanet al (2003), in their works “Regions mediation capability of EASF as well as and Power”. It is a theory of international how the political and geopolitical structures relations, which posits that international are made up. A total of 300 questionnaires security should be examined from a regional were administered to the respondents. 255 perspective, and that relations between were returned, while 45 were not returned. states exhibit regular and geographically This implied that there was 85% response clustered patterns. The theory explains the rate. This impressive rate was achieved due structure of international security and spills to the rigorous engagement of the it over to the regional segmentation of the respondents by the research assistants. The concept of security. In particular, this theory 15% who did not manage to complete the International Journal of Research and Review (ijrrjournal.com) 447 Vol.7; Issue: 11; November 2020 Robert Gichangi Kabage et.al. Structure of Eastern African Standby Force in maintaining peace and security in Kenya and Somalia study was either due to busy schedules or structure. Minutely, 6% of the respondents failure to submit the questionnaires in time. strongly disagreed to the inquiry. The study findings are considered valid Cumulatively, 54% of the respondents since, according to Mugenda and Mugenda agreed that the PLANELM is a critical (2003), a response rate of 50% is adequate entity in the structure and effectiveness of for analysis and reporting. A response rate the EASF. of 60-69% is considered to be good, while that of above 70% is excellent. So the In light of the foregoing discussion, one of response rate for this study was excellent the key informants had this to say: (Mugenda and Mugenda, 2003). Planning element of EASF is part of EASF structure based in IV. STUDY FINDINGS Nairobi. This is the engine of The study sought to examine the EASF since virtually all plans of structure of EASF in its mandate of the EASF are developed, designed maintaining peace and security in Kenya and implemented from the and Somalia. The findings are discussed in planning element directives issued the ensuing paragraphs. from the Nairobi office. However, for effective operations of EASF to EASF Planning Element take place, there are has often been need for coordination between the LOGBASE in Ethiopia and PLANELM offices in Kenya The coordination process is broadly making up the EASF structure that consists of the thirteen member states. However more tailored approach towards better planning is necessary in future (Interview with key informant at EASF PLANELM, Nairobi Kenya 20/11/2019. The foregoing is illustrative of Figure 1.1: EASF Planning Element. planning elements witnessed across the Source: Field Data, 2019. globe, the continent and within transnational The study sought to underscore the formations. However, it is important to note structure of EASF. It sought respondents’ that, the planning elements without proper understanding whether they strongly agreed, coordination