Kenya’s Role in Curbing Transnational Organized Crimes (TOCs) within East Africa Region

Authors

  • Regina K. Muiyuro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47941/jirp.3685

Keywords:

Transnational Organised Crimes, Regional Integration, Kenya's Intelligence Community, Joint Intelligence and Operations Centre

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role the Kenyan state has played in curbing the Transnational Organised Crimes (TNOCs) within the region. The increasing internationalized markets and the development of regional economic communities (RECs) have led to the emergence of regional integration agreements, such as the East African Community.

Methodology: The study gathered information from crucial government informants within the Ministry of EAC, the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Development, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration. The researcher also engaged academic experts in the area of study. Other respondents included the County Commissioners, Senior County security officials and Immigration officers in the border towns along Kenya–Uganda (Busia and Malaba) and Kenya–Tanzania (Isebania and Namanga) borders.  The study adopted the post-positivistic paradigm. The mixed methods design was embraced in the study. The research used questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, surveys and focus group discussions (FGD) on collecting primary data. The study obtained secondary data through a review of documents on EAC regional integration and TNOCs in the custody of EAC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The study utilized content analysis techniques to analyse the data. The presentation of the data was continuously based on the themes developed.

Findings: The study found that the Kenyan state (Kenya's Intelligence Community) has contributed to curbing TNOCs within the region. The intelligence community plays a crucial role in these efforts by gathering and analyzing information and intelligence to support investigations and operations aimed at disrupting and dismantling criminal organizations. The EAC has created the Joint Intelligence and Operations Centre (JIOC) to coordinate and share intelligence among member states and has also developed a regional action plan to enhance collaboration on counterterrorism efforts. 

Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study contributes to the theory by applying constructivism to explain the effects of regional norms and cooperation on the response to transnational organized crime. It trains policy through enhancing more efficient intelligence-sharing and regional capacity such as a Joint Intelligence and Operations Centre. In practice, it focuses on the increased inter-agency cooperation, implementation of AML frameworks, and strengthening of security institutions capacity. It also educates future research on the impact of regional organizations and the impact of integration on the effectiveness of crime control.

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Published

2026-05-07

How to Cite

Muiyuro, R. K. (2026). Kenya’s Role in Curbing Transnational Organized Crimes (TOCs) within East Africa Region. Journal of International Relations and Policy, 7(1), 83–100. https://doi.org/10.47941/jirp.3685

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Regina K. Muiyuro

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