Nyumba Kumi Initiative – A Critical Analysis

Following widespread interethnic clashes and increasing terrorist attacks in Kenya in the last few years, the government of Kenya embarked on the formulation of policies and devolution of capacities for guaranteeing security and peace at the local level in the community. The government, in an effort to renew its efforts on maintaining peace and security, launched a model of community policing known as Nyumba Kumi Initiative. This is a strategy designed for citizens to know their neighbors. It is anchored on the premise that citizens know their areas very well and are indeed able to spot and call out any suspicious or unusual activities in their surroundings. The aim is to bring together Kenyans in clusters defined by their physical locations and common interests; a safe, sustainable and prosperous neighborhood. The Government envisioned a neighbourhood whose residents know the details of each other, and who pay attention and look out for one another. This would not only facilitate social cohesion and integration, but also help achieve security and peace. Nyumba Kumi was proposed as the solution for criminal behavior and terrorism. The locals are encouraged by this initiative to constantly interact and share information about one another and are expected to monitor security threats and provide information to the local administration and security organs. As a community policing initiative, the model is seen as a bridge to improve the cooperation between the local authorities, including the Police, with the people. The adoption of this participatory and collaborative approach by the Kenyan government is geared towards reduction of crime and peaceful conflict resolution. The paper is supposed to critically analyze this concept and its capacity to be fully implemented in Kenya by the government and whether it is set to achieve the intended goal; reduction of crime and interethnic conflicts through increased surveillance and partnership between the Public Police and local communities.