Crime and safety in rural Kenya

This chapter presents the findings of a survey of farmers regarding farm crime, criminal justice responses, and crime prevention measures in two selected counties in Kenya. A multi-stage sampling approach incorporating purposeful and random techniques was used to select respondents within the case study locations. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 247 farmers. The key findings from this study are that more than two-thirds have been victims of crime and criminality on the farms, but only 30 percent report these crimes. The chapter recommends investments in farmer education on farm security, guardianship, target hardening strategies, and the importance of reporting farm crimes. There is also a need to improve community policing programmes and the police-farmer relationship.