Authors : Brian Bilahi Francis; Dr. Samuel Auya; Hadija Murenga

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4wvsvcvy

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/3mjmwfz7

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May542

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : This paper utilizes data from an MA Thesis on the implications of gang violence and criminality on security service providers in Mombasa County. The present study was grounded in the assumption that while gang violence and criminality in Mombasa County had been acknowledged to have had detrimental effects on security service providers, the specific personal implications of gang violence and criminality on security service providers remained unexplored. This paper focused to on these personal implications. This descriptive survey study was guided by the contingency theory and the lifestyle exposure theory and involved 72 out of a target of 80 semi-structured interviews. The participants were selected using the non-probability method of stratified purposive sampling. Data was collected for one and a half months using semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. The study revealed that security providers faced significant personal implications due to exposure to gang violence and criminality in line with the life exposure theory. They faced significant physical and psychological risks. Specifically, police officers experienced more frequent physical attacks, mental stress such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and pressure to employ lethal force, in contrast, private security officers experienced chronic stress due to operational limitations. To address the implications, this study recommended institutionalized tailored, made mental health support systems for security providers, with trauma-focused care for police and stress management for private officers. The study recommended follow-up measures to sustain these gains be established.

Keywords : Gang Violence, Criminality, Security Service Providers, Livelihoods, Personal Implications, Mombasa County Kenya.

References :

1. Walter, L. (2012). On‑the‑job stress negatively impacts police officer health, study suggests. https://www.ehstoday.com/health/article/21915261/onthejob-stress-negativelyimpacts-police-officer-health-study-suggests
2. Wako, A., & Collins, O. (2020). Kenya: Scars of the gangs - Inside the criminal underworld of Nairobi's Eastlands. AllAfrica. https://allafrica.com/stories/202009160162.html
3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Labor force statistics from the Current Population Survey. https://www.bls.gov/cps/
4. The Citizen Staff Writer. (2013). Dar in a panic as brutal gangs terrorize its suburbs. The Citizen. https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/dar-in-a-panic-as-brutal-gangs-terrorize-its-suburbs-2500854
5. Shauri, S. H. (2018, August). Insecurity and youth vulnerability to recruitment into criminal gangs and violent extremist organizations in Kilifi County, Coastal Kenya. International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovative Technology, Vol 5(7), 24–38.
6. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. (2013). Kenya: The Mungiki sect, including its organization, leadership, membership, recruitment methods, activities, and relationship with the government. https://www.refworld.org/docid/51f4f85d4.html
7. Ponto, J. (2015, March 1). Understanding and Evaluating Survey Research [White paper or Unpublished manuscript]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286445115_Understanding_and_Evaluating_Survey_Research
8. Odoh, D., & Chinedum., E. (2014). Research designs, survey, and case study. IOSR Journal of VLSI and Signal Processing, 4(6), 16–22. https://doi.org/10.9790/4200-04611622
9. Nieuwenhuyse, A., Oudejans, R. R. D., & Bakker, F. C. (2012). Effects of threat on police officers’ shooting behavior: Anxiety, action specificity, and affective influences on perception. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(4), 608–615. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.2838
10. National Crime Research Centre (NCRC). (2019). Organized criminal gangs in Kenya. https://www.crimeresearch.go.ke/what-we-research/organized-criminal-gangs-in-kenya.Nairobi: Government Printer
11. Mutuku, S. M. (2014). Effects of criminal gangs on the livelihood of urban residents: A case study of the Gaza gang in Kayole, Nairobi County. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. The University of Nairobi.
12. Mugenda, O. M., & Mugenda, A. G. (2012). Research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Acts Press.
13. Mohamed, F., & Mussa, M. A. (2019). Emergence of youth criminal groups popularly known as Panya Road and Ubaya in Tanzania: The case of Dar es Salaam City and Zanzibar Town. Research Journal of Education, 5(7), 119–127
14. M. S. Mangai and A. A. Ayodele, “Politicising violent gangs in selected Southern African countries: A comparative review of violent crime,” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, 2025, doi: 10.1080/23311886.2025.2556472
15. Knox, V. (2018, September). An atomised crisis: Reframing displacement caused by violence in El Salvador. Geneva: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). www.internaldisplacement.org/files
16. Jacobus, D, E. (2018, July 25). Treating Injured Police Officers. Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS).
17. https://www.jems.com/articles/2018/07/treating-injured-police-officers.html
18. Haugaard, L. (2018). Gang violence and growing abuses by state security forces. https://www.lawg.org/el-salvador-gang-violence-and-growing-abuses-by-state-security-forces
19. Gongo, S., & Mwawasi, M. (2018). Police officer     injured in attack by suspected gang in Ganjoni, Mombasa. The Standard. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke
20. Garbarino, S., Elovainio, M., Magnavita, N., & Heponiemi, T. (2011). Police job strain during routine activities and a major event. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 84(4), 393–399. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51192741_Police_job_strain_during_routine_activities_and_a_major_event
21. Decker, S & Pyrooz, D. (2010, January 01). Gang violence worldwide: Context, culture, and country. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284596411_Gang_violence_worldwide_Context_culture_and_country.  GoK. (2010). The Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
22. College of Policing (2013, October 23). Planning resources.https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/operations/operationalplanning/planningresourc.
23. African News Agency (ANA). (2019). Cape ‘gangster’ nabbed for assaulting cops to remain behind bars. Available at: https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/2019-02-26-cape-gangster-nabbed-for-assaulting-cops-to-remain-behind-bars
24. Carlie, M. (2002). Into the abyss: A personal journey into the world of street gangs. Missouri State University. http://people.missouristate.edu/MichaelCarlie/site_map.htm