Perceived security threats and social disorganization: the case of Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya

Abstract

Kakuma Refugee Camp, one of the largest in Kenya, has increasingly been perceived as a potential security threat here conceptualized as criminality, violence, and destabilization. This study explores how security factors such as prolonged displacement, and cultural fragmentation contribute to this perception. The camp's complex social dynamics often strain relations with host communities and local authorities. Understanding these factors is crucial for developing informed and sustainable security and integration policies. The specific objectives were: to examine how illegal small arms and light weapons are transited from their international destination to Kakuma Refugee camp; to assess the mobility of illegal small arms and light weapons between the refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp and the host communities; to determine the security status of Kakuma Refugee Camp from the narratives of refugees, and; to assess the security status of Kakuma Refugee Camp from the narratives of the host community. The study used social constructivism paradigm; securitization theories and social disorganization Theory of Crime, and adopted a within case study research design- Kakuma was purposively chosen because it is characterized by weak institutions, poverty, and broken social networks that are predicted by the social disorganization Theory of Crime as predisposed to insecurity. The study targeted knowledgeable inhabitants in the refugee camp and those living near the Kakuma refugee camp. The sample size was 27 knowledgeable interviewees which were arrived at through snowball sample design. The sample size was distributed as follows: (4) refugees’ representatives, (5) Host community within the camp (5) NGOs, (7) host community outside the camp and (6) security personnel. An interview schedule was used to collect data. The data was analyzed by generating patterns of themes for each objective. The findings revealed that: For the first objective, illegal weapons were smuggled into the camps through the use of arms smugglers and criminal gangs. For the second objective, the illegal arms circulated between the refugee camps and the host communities through networks that the refugees created with the host community; it also did so through links with security personnel and with outsiders in the neighboring countries. For the third objective, refugees narrated that Kakuma refugee camp faced insecurity due to hostilities amongst refugees of different ethnic backgrounds that reside within the camp. For the fourth objective, the host community and government officials thought that due to social disorganization therein, Kakuma refugee camp poses a threat to the host community; the respondents stated that the host community contributed to this security matrix. The study concludes that Kakuma Refugee camp is vulnerable to infiltration of arms from outside the country and from the host community; the camp also contributes to insecurity in the host community- and the contextual factors being social disorganization that predispose the communities to criminality and violence. The study recommends that there should be increased border controls and anti- corruption efforts that target the officers in the camp and at the borders. Additionally, the participation of the host community and refugees in decision-making concerning illegal arms can reduce the proliferation of illegal arms. Besides, the study recommends more resources for the welfare of refugees and the host community; this would reduce the economic disparities between the two communities- and social dislocation generally.