Does Stakeholders’ Security Planning Influence Security Management Outcomes? Empirical Evidence from Public Secondary Schools in Mandera County, Kenya

Abstract

Mandera County in Kenya is bordering Ethiopia and Somalia. These places have been continuously attacked by Al Shabaab radicals from Somalia and the Ethiopian pastoralists practicing cattle stealing. Safety of the instructors and learners has been a concern to every education stakeholder, both countrywide and internationally since the Al-Shabaab attacks are on the increase particularly in North Kenyan area. Going by observations and scarce investigations done, the current study answered the question; To what extent does stakeholders’ security plan preparation influence security management outcomes? The study was guided by the Stakeholders’ Theory and the Securitization Theory using mixed methodology. The study targeted a population of 17,756 subjects with a sample size of 738 respondents. Two pairs of questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers and learners while interviews were used for principals, education officers and BoM chairs. An observation checklist was also used to collect data on security management outcomes. The research instruments were piloted in 2 schools in Wajir County. The instruments were validated by experts in educational planning and management while test-retest technique was embraced to ascertain reliability for each of the questionnaire item yielding a Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha of at least 0.700. Numerical facts were scrutinized in descriptive and inferential statistics using tables, occurrences, percentages and Chi-square. Non-numerical facts were offered by thematic scrutiny in narrating format. The study found no significant training of safety on the part of the principals, teachers and the non-teaching members of the staff. It is seen that this a is a poor security plan preparation. Therefore, it was recommended that training must be improved and beefed up for better outcomes