Assessing the Growth of the Private Security Sector in Kenya in Relation to the General Elections: Case Study of Nairobi County (2008-2018)

This study aims to analyze the growth of the Kenyan private security sector, and to establish its role and impact on security in relation to the general elections. The case study is Nairobi County and the timeframe is from 2008 to 2018. The study includes determining the impact of the private security sector and its functions on security in Kenya. The research reviews previous studies with a view to establish academic gaps which the present study sought to bridge. Emanating from the research findings. it is recommended that the security firms should better train the private security guards in order to enhance overall security being provided to Kenyans Security guards must be able to respond to different changes in their environment, which include action such as traffic movement; ensure the safety of people among and inside different localities; observing and handling the admittance and exit of individuals and cars and evaluating and monitoring individuals and coming up with a policy and legal framework for regulating and observing Private Security Company (PSC) activity. The study concludes that the private security sector in Kenya impacts and influences the overall security following the 2007, 2013 and 2017 general elections in the country. The study, therefore, fords that there has been growth in the private security sector in Kenya over the last 10 years and it continues to do so currently. Finally, it advances the view that a significant relationship does exist between the functions of the private security sector and the growth of the private security sector in Kenya which have had an extensive influence on levels of security in the country.