Kenya and the pest of piracy, a prospective partner for peace

This report, based primarily on field research, investigates the effects of piracy on Kenya; including the costs that can be seen at the local level.

The paper examines ways in which Kenya could be engaged in the counter-piracy effort in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Maritime piracy has presented an increasing threat to global, economic, strategic and security interests, with the number of piracy attacks steadily increasing over the last two years. While members of the international community have attempted to address maritime piracy, mostly through advocacy and naval deployment, pirates have managed to adapt their tactics and are still successfully carrying out attacks.  The geographical location of Kenya and the fact that it has been adversely affected by the activities of pirates, places it in a key position to curb the effects of piracy. This paper evaluates Kenya’s counter-piracy efforts and suggests ways in which Kenya can contribute more effectively to the fight against piracy on a domestic, regional and global level.  The paper also offers a number of recommendations advocating a varied approach to defeat maritime piracy.

About the author:

Lisa Otto currently works as a researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) in Johannesburg. At the time she completed this paper, she was working as a research intern in the African Conflict Prevention Programme of the ISS in Pretoria.