CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION TRAINING Kisumu County Crime, Violence and Prevention Rapid Assessment Report Munyae Mulinge, Kennedy Mkutu, Obondo Kajumbi, Carol Yogo, Elizabeth Owino, Mark Shiundu, and Phyllis Muriuki 1 Figure 1: Kisumu City, Kisumu County 2 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 7 3.0 FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................. 10 3.1 Nature and Prevalence of Crime and Violence in Kisumu County ......................................... 10 3.1.1 Gender Based Violence ................................................................................................... 10 3.1.2 Sex Related Offenses ....................................................................................................... 11 3.1.3 Fraud ................................................................................................................................ 14 3.1.4 Theft, e.g. Muggings and House Breaking ...................................................................... 14 3.1.5 Robbery with Violence .................................................................................................... 15 3.1.6 Drug Related Offenses .................................................................................................... 16 3.1.7 Murder/ Manslaughter ..................................................................................................... 17 3.1.8 Traffic Offences .............................................................................................................. 19 3.1.9 Organized Gangs ............................................................................................................. 19 3.1.10 Cattle Theft/ Rustling: ..................................................................................................... 20 3.1.11 Land/ Boundary Based Violence ..................................................................................... 20 3.1.12 Corruption ....................................................................................................................... 21 3.1.13 Human-Wild Life Conflict .............................................................................................. 22 3.1.14 Other Forms of Crime ......................................................... 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Bookmark not defined. 3.2 The Perceived Causes of Crime and Violence ........................................................................ 22 3.2.1 Poverty ............................................................................................................................ 22 3.2.2 Rampant Unemployment ................................................................................................. 22 3.2.3 Idleness among the Youth ............................................................................................... 23 3.2.4 Marginalization ............................................................................................................... 24 3.2.5 Poor/ Ineffective Parenting or Declining Family Control ............................................... 25 3.2.6 Alcohol and other Drugs Abuse ...................................................................................... 25 3.2.7 Land Issues ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.8 Rising Decadence in Society/ Collapse of Moral Fiber of Society ................................. 26 3.2.9 Poor Access and inadequate Lighting in Informal Settlements ....................................... 26 3.2.10 Proliferations of Social Media ......................................................................................... 26 3.2.11 Declining Religious Influence ......................................................................................... 27 3.2.12 The Proliferation of/ Ease of Civilian Access to Firearms .............................................. 27 3.2.13 Unstructured Communication ......................................................................................... 27 3.2.14 Peer Pressure ................................................................................................................... 28 3 3.2.15 The Education System ..................................................................................................... 28 3.2.16 Community Attitudes Toward Gender ............................................................................ 28 3.2.17 BodaBodaTransportation ................................................................................................. 29 3.2.18 The Law Enforcement Process ........................................................................................ 29 3.2.19 Proliferation of Private Security Systems ........................................................................ 30 3.3 Intervention Strategies for Prevention of Crime and Violence ............................................... 30 3.3.1 Initiation of Youth Economic Programs by National Government ................................. 30 3.3.2 Initiation of Commissions by National Government ....................................................... 30 3.3.3 Initiation of Socio-Economic Programs by Religious Organizations ............................. 30 3.3.4 Community Policing........................................................................................................ 32 3.3.5 Opening up Informal Settlements and Enforcement of Development Control ............... 32 3.3.5 Harnessing the Potential in the Agricultural Sector ........................................................ 32 3.3.6 Peace Building Initiatives ................................................................................................ 33 3.3.7 Devolved Development ................................................................................................... 34 3.3.8 Rehabilitation Programs .................................................................................................. 33 3.4 The Way Forward .................................................................................................................... 33 4.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 35 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION The research report presented here was the outcome of a Rapid Assessment conducted in Kisumu County. The data presented in the report were collected from January 21 to 26 2019 by a team of six (6) researchers drawn from the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), the Kenya School of Government (KSG) and the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC). A consultant from the World Bank, the financier of the Crime and Violence Prevention Training hosted by USIU-A and the KSG - also accompanied the research team and actively participated in the collection of data, bringing the total number of researchers to seven (7). Kisumu County is one of the 47 counties created through the devolved system of governance by the Constitution of Kenya 2010 (see Map 1). It lies on the western part of Kenya within longitudes 33° 20’E and 35° 20’E and latitudes 0° 20’South and 0° 50’south. The county covers a total land area of 2009.5 km2 and another 567 km2 covered by water (County Government of Kisumu, 2013). Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the World, Kisumu County serves as the main commercial and transport hub for the Western part of Kenya and the East African region. Its headquarters is Kisumu city, the third largest city in Kenya. In lieu of its strategic positioning, Kisumu County serves as an entrance for Kenya into the rest of the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Homa Bay County to the South, Nandi County to the North East, Kericho County to the East, Vihiga County to the North West and Siaya County to the West. For administrative purposes, the county is divided into seven (7) sub-counties, namely Seme, Kisumu West, Kisumu East, Muhoroni, Kisumu Central, Nyando, and Nyakach, each following the borders of the constituency which bears a similar name. The sub-counties are further divided into 35 wards. Based on the 2009 Kenya National Population and Housing Census, the population of Kisumu County then was 968,909 persons with 474,687 (49.0 percent) males and 494,222 (51.0 percent) female (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2010). The population is projected to increase to 1,256,787 by the end of 2019, with 615,724 males and 641,063 females (County Government of Kisumu, 2018). The major economic activities of the residents are trade, farming and fishing. 5 Kisumu county has a diverse background comprising of urban and rural set-ups. The five major Map 1: Counties of Kenya 6 Source: https://opendata.go.ke/facet/counties urban centers in the county include Ahero, Katito, Muhoroni, Chemilil, and Maseno. Other emerging fast-growing centers include Awasi, Pap-Onditi, Holo, Kombewa and Sondu. The county is also characterized by a rich ethnic, racial and cultural diversity, with the Luo being the dominant ethnic group. 2.0 METHODOLOGY This section presents data collection and analysis methods utilized for the study. A qualitative