Kenya's industrialisation and its implications for national security

Abstract

This research paper examines Kenya’s industrialisation and its implications for national security with a view of making appropriate recommendations. The study is hinged on three objectives as follows; to analyse the strategies and policies that Kenya has put in place to promote industrialisation in Kenya, to determine the challenges of industrialisation in Kenya and to draw an assessment of the implications of industrialisation to national security in Kenya. The study is based on Modernisation and dependency theory. The theories explain the process of transformation from traditional or underdeveloped societies to modern societies. The theories justify the underdevelopment of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America attributed to the traditional values and economic barriers that held them back. The theories further indicates that in order to develop, these countries need to adopt the development path of the West, including their cultural values, intensive use of technology and embracing industrialisation. The study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the complex relationship between industrialization and national security and to inform policy decisions aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive industrialization in Kenya and other developing countries. It is assumed that the strategies and policies put in place by the Kenyan government to promote industrialization have a significant impact on the socioeconomic development of the country and that the policies can be evaluated and improved based on their effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes. The study relied mainly on secondary data sources. The study explores the period from 1963 to 2024.