Abstract: This article analyzes the prospect of arming private security guards in Kenya in the fight against terror attacks. Arming guards is a big jump from baton-bearing and the step cannot be made impulsively even in an ideal situation. All counter-terrorism measures must be geared towards raising the costs of a terror operations while increasing their expected disutilities and lowering the expected payoff of a terror operation. For guards to segue into bearing arms and be expected to perform optimally and effectively against would-be terrorists, they should meet a pre-set fitness standard based on the PULHHEEMS criteria before being subjected to tactical and weapon handling training in addition to legal issues surrounding their new status. They also ought to be well remunerated and people of certain code of conduct to safeguard against misuse of the weapons issued to them. The clients must also choose to accept the costs and the risks involved in employing the services of the armed guards compared to the revenue they can generate from the perceived amelioration in security or the loss mitigated thereof. The risks posed by arming of guards, the cost of arming them against corporate bottom-line and the effectiveness of armed guards against terrorists compared to the risk of a terror attack in Kenya does not warrant the arming of private security guards under the prevailing conditions. However, this could be re-evaluated upon changes in any of the factors. Statistically, armed guards would pose mortal danger to approximately 119 persons directly per year alongside many more who would be adversely impacted indirectly. This is against a potential of saving approximately 33.71 lives per calendar year assuming similar training and evaluation capacity to that of the Kenya police service. Clearly, arming private guards to save lives in probable terror attacks in Kenya is not a logical initiative.
Keywords: Kenya, Armed, Guards, Terrorism, Training, PULHHEEMS, Risk, Attacks, vulnerability, Arming.
Title: TO ARM OR NOT TO: ANALYZING THE PROSPECT OF ARMING PRIVATE GUARDS AGAINST TERROR ATTACKS IN KENYA
Author: Denis Kimathi Kairemia, Muhumed A Sheikh, Amon Nyansera Nyakundi
International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations
ISSN 2348-7585 (Online)
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