Case study 1: The Immediate Technology Development group (East Africa) and the Safer Cities program

1. Introduction

I noted in the research section of this paper that the UN Habitat Safer Cities Program was the only international crime prevention initiative in the City of Nairobi. As a relatively recent initiative of less than three years in duration, it is still in the process of setting up the requisite organisational base necessary to oversee the goals of the Safer Cities Program (SCP).

The Immediate Technology Development Group (East Africa) [ITDG (EA)], on the other hand, is a local NGO which is the umbrella organisation charged with seeing to the implementation of the programme. The results of the interview are based solely on an interview with ITDG (EA) officials.

1.1. Role players: Immediate Technology Development Group (East Africa)

The Safer Cities Program of UN-Habitat is working in partnership with ITDG (EA) to build the capacity of the Nairobi City Council, the Nairobi Provincial Administration and other stakeholders to take on safety and security issues as a central component of their work.

The Safer Cities Program began by carrying out an analysis of the nature of crime to feed into the safer city strategy. This is the only step that has been carried out so far. The current phase of the work, which began in January 2003, is based on the implementation of a Medium-term phase before a citywide crime prevention strategy is developed and specific action plans made towards making Nairobi safer.

1.1.1. Other role players in crime prevention

ITDG (EA) considered the following as the key role players in crime prevention; (a) the Nairobi City Council; (b) the Kenya Police Force; (c) Neighbourhood Associations; (d) the Judiciary; (e) the ITDG (EA) itself; (f) the private sector; (g) private security firms and a number of NGOs such as Chemi Chemi ya Ukweli, Kenya Human Rights Commission, and the Security Research Information Centre.

1.2. Crime prevention mandate

The ITDG (EA) noted that only the first phase of the planned range of activity had taken place: the Victimisation Survey, whose results were published in September 2002. However, it was noted that there was no clear action plan at present with regard to the mandate and terms of reference for the various players. This will only be available later on in 2003 as the initiative progresses.

However, there are certain mandatory expectations based on what transpired in the deliberations between stakeholders. These were that:

ITDG (EA) provides local research and advocacy expertise to support the NCC.
UN-HABITAT offers technical assistance to the SCP programme.
The NCC provides institutional support in the preparation and implementation of the project.
The Kenya Police Force is expected to play a key role, especially in the establishment of the Community Policing element and also in coordinating all the efforts being undertaken by various groups to improve safety and security in Nairobi.

ITDG (EA) anticipates that the private sector will work together with the residents' associations and the Kenya Police in an effort to curb crime.

1.2.1. Links between national and local crime fighting

ITDG (EA) believes that there is a link between the national and locally driven crime prevention initiatives. Crime transcends city boundaries. For example, it has been noted that due to the cross-border conflict in the Horn of Africa there has been an influx of firearms to Nairobi from Northern Kenya through the porous borders of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. These have consequently raised insecurity not only in Nairobi but also in other parts of Kenya. In the recently concluded UN Victimisation Survey, 67% of all respondents felt that the increase in the number of firearms was due to smuggling from Somalia.¹

The Kenya Police, together with other local stakeholders, have initiated Community Policing projects within the city. This is an important part of the SCP plan. The Nairobi City Council in partnership with ITDG (EA), the Safer Cities Program of UN-HABITAT, Provincial Administration and other stakeholders, is also putting in place strategies for the development of a citywide crime prevention strategy. As envisaged, this would incorporate the private sector, the police, neighbourhood associations, residents, the Nairobi City Council and others. This programme will work together with other stakeholders to draw and build on the strengths of each institution. SCP and ITDG (EA) acknowledge that there are many other initiatives and efforts being undertaken by different civil society groups on the issue of safety and security.

1.3. Partnership

As the ITDG (EA) has not really structured the requisite crime prevention partnerships, all it could do was to describe what were foreseen as likely lines of linkages and working relationships.

ITDG (EA) envisages that various working committees/task forces will be developed that will bring on board certain organisations based on thematic areas and tackling specific elements of safety and security. These would, for instance, include one on community policing and one tackling violence against women.

ITDG (EA) was of the opinion that so far there were many actors in the sector, but no real coordination or concrete partnerships at a citywide level. It therefore anticipated that the SCP initiative would play this crucial role of bringing all the players on board and coming up with a citywide crime prevention strategy in which all the players could play a part.

1.3.1. Partner relationships

It is envisaged that a Memorandum of Understanding will be drawn up to clearly spell out the roles and responsibilities of the various actors in Nairobi. As partnerships had not already developed, the rest of the questions in this section were not applicable.

2. Crime prevention approaches

Approaches to crime prevention had not yet been developed. However,
ITDG (EA) expressed the belief that "crime prevention is better than cure".

2.1. Meaning of crime prevention

ITDG (EA) was of the opinion that at this point it was difficult to give a stakeholder's definition of what was meant by crime prevention, as different agencies might have different interpretations. However in broad terms ITDG (EA) envisaged crime prevention as the reduction of possible and actual criminal events through prevention interventions.

The city of Nairobi scale of operations implied a localized approach to crime prevention, to which the ITDG (EA) response was that local government is the key actor in coalitions and in the development of community-wide planning strategies for crime prevention. It felt that the Mayor and Counselors were in a strategic position to initiate and coordinate local actions and adequately address local demand for security.

This approach does not look at security as the exclusive responsibility of the state but believes it should involve a coalition of local actors who must actively participate in the diagnosis of insecurity and in the formulation and implementation of appropriate solutions.

2.2. Jurisdiction

With regard to its territorial jurisdiction, ITDG (EA) affirmed that the Safer Cities Program would be a citywide approach, although the UN Habitat-SCP as a whole is a countrywide exercise.

3. Crime prevention strategy

3.1. Process

In terms of the strategy as a process the ITDG (EA) noted that the SCP initiative was in the process of bringing the various players together. ITDG (EA) believes that the catalyst is `The Nairobi Victimisation Survey Report'.

3.2. Strategy design and development

Strategy design and development was again still in the formative stages. However ITDG (EA) felt that the NCC's role would be to (a) provide guidance for the project, (b) chair the working committees on the safety programme, and (c) grant institutional support in the preparation and implementation of the project.

The rest of the study questionnaire was not really applicable, given that most of the groundwork for applying the Safer Cities Program to the city of Nairobi had not yet taken off, so relevant answers could not be supplied.

Notes

Crime in Nairobi: Results of a citywide victim survey.