I am sure at one point in your life you found yourself in an uncertain situation where you felt your security was threatened.

Everyone has faced one of these situations. From food insecurities, health, and pandemics to bodily or property insecurities. The security situation in Kenya is dire. The number of incidences taking place almost on daily basis is overwhelming.

It's the government's and the people's responsibility to cater to national and individual security. This article will cover the security threats that have become prominent in Kenyans' daily lives. The constitution of Kenya provides for its citizens as stated below in chapter fourteen of the constitution of Kenya.

(1) National security is the protection against internal and external threats to Kenya’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, its people, their rights, freedoms, property, peace, stability and prosperity, and other national interests.

(2) The national security of Kenya shall be promoted and guaranteed by the following principles;

(a) National security is subject to the authority of this Constitution and Parliament;

(b) National security shall be pursued in compliance with the law and with the utmost respect for the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms.

(c) In performing their functions and exercising their powers, national security organs shall respect the diverse culture of the communities within Kenya.

Chapter four of the same constitution on human rights provides for the right to life, freedom, and security of a person.

1Political and social insecurities

Kenya has frequently been in the news in current years because of deadly attacks within the country by the extreme group a-Shabaab, most notably the assault on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in September 2013, in which at least 67 people died.

The number of death resulting from Al-Shabaab operations rose from 30 in 2010 to 290 in 2014.

The disposition of Kenyan politics itself, may, poses greater dangers. Until the adoption of the new constitution in 2010, Kenya had been governed by imperial presidents. Those in executive offices wielded tremendous political power amassed through gradual and systematic constitutional amendments by successive post-independence governments. This "big man" syndrome is also prominent in most African states.

The presidency was depicted by the merger of power and its disproportionate abuse, deep-rooted patronage in the allocation of national resources, and abuse of state security instruments to silence anyone bold enough to oppose.

Selfish ethnic alignment purely for party prosperity is witnessed with the deep-rooted depiction of tribal boundaries drawn during political campaigns for political gains.

2Climate change

Environmental security contains a broad range of issues including climate reverse engineering because of the rate of destruction through tree planting and managing waste and the consequences of climate change;

• Natural disasters,

• Drought,

• Floods,

• Sea level rise.

Resource conflict, threatening sustainability and livelihoods, and the degradation of land, water, and air concern the Kenyan government as its effects are being felt. Although they may not the largest contributors to pollution, they play a role and certainly bear the effects.

According to the World Health Organization, the effects of climate change are anticipated to be responsible for about 250,000 additional deaths per year between the years 2030-2050. Food Security.

3Food insecurities

Food scarcity and malnutrition are, in large part, related to issues of the environment across much of the world.

Poor environment ie desserts lead to the food crisis. It is critical to analyze how these problems impact national agriculture and local communities. In the government of Kenya and at the individual level, food should be a priority. Improved and technological advancement should be applied to foster food security through irrigation and smart farming. In Kenya, many counties are in dire need of food and water. Counties of Machakos, Mandara, Marsabut, and Turkana just to name a few.

According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 690 million people suffer from hunger according to 2020 estimates, which is an increase of nearly 60 million from the last five years

4Health insecurities

Rapidly growing populations, rapid urbanizations, environmental degradation, and overuse and misuse of medicine all contribute to precarious microbial landscapes. The chronic resurgence of outbreaks such as cholera and malaria threaten the lives of children and expectant mothers.

Pandemics, including COVID-19, can cause unseen burdens beyond getting sick, although it affects the globe, third-world countries like Kenya get the most effects with lives lost in large numbers.

5Gender-based insecurities

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in three women worldwide has experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and around 38% of murders of women are committed by intimate partners.

Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) is another cultural practice that is prohibited by the Kenyan government but it is still being perpetrated. The victims' lives are at risk and prone to live threatened situations including bleeding to death and varied infections.

6Poverty and Conflict

Poverty is highly prevalent in Kenya with 42% of the children living in monetary poverty and 53% living in multidimensional poverty. In February 2022, 3.5 million people in arid and semi-arid lands, were severely food insecure.

These dire state of affairs witnessed even in poor urban regions of Nairobi like in Kibera and Umoja slums cause upheavals that threaten security. It links to the government's inadequacy to provide basic services to the people.

As much as Kenya has a good share of problems, it's important to commend it for the many positive strides towards a better and improved living standards of its people.