Effect of Emergency Preparedness on Security in Kenyan Universities: A Case Study of Garissa University

Security emergencies and threats have lately been on the increase, with public universities in Kenya reporting many incidents of insecurity. Despite investigation efforts by university management, the high prevalence of insecurity has continued, pointing to the need to determine the relationship between security emergency preparedness and security management in public universities in Kenya. This paper explores the existing types of emergency situations, the existing types of emergency response approaches, and the level of institutional emergency preparedness and their influence on security at Garissa University. Utilizing the emergency Management Theory, the paper points out that the common type of emergency situation in the study institution is terror-related attacks. Training is the common emergency situation response strategy that the university is utilizing in readiness to face emergency situations, and strict checking at the gate is the most common plan that the university has used to deal with emergency situations within its compound and emergency planning in the study institution has enhanced security through control of movement. The study recommends that the university invest in modern and advanced information technology infrastructure and systems to avert incidences of insecurity.

Introduction

Security is the assurance of protecting human, material, and financial resources against any threat, including physical, emotional, and psychological protection from harm, attack, and terror (Oguk, 2018). The outcome of security is freedom from danger, anxiety, and fear, leading to stability and continuity of livelihoods, predictability of daily life, protection from crime, and freedom from psychological harm (Ngulum, 2019). Universities seek to achieve the core missions of teaching and learning, research, and community service but experience security incidents (Oguk, 2018). This calls for emergency preparedness to reduce the negative impact of incidents. Security emergency preparedness can be achieved through emergency management planning, training, and exercises or drills (Kaneberg, 2018). Security emergency preparedness may prevent the occurrence of security threats and enable timely response to these threats (Tamboet al., 2017).

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (2007), emergency management planning assesses existing threats, outlines strategies to counter the threats, lists actors’ roles and responsibilities, and establishes a network and a plan. Training shares information on the plan with stakeholders involved in any emergency response phase. Exercises simulate the emergency involving participants and resources available and used in an actual situation. It is done to ensure the adequacy of the plan to cope with different types of emergencies (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2007). The complexity of emergencies and threats has increased globally, leading to the need to respond effectively through emergency preparedness.

In Sweden, the impact of emergencies has increased while threats have changed, but emergency mitigation planning is inadequate (Kaneberg, 2018). Saudi Arabia reported the greatest number of fatalities from emergencies and threats, reaching over 3979 deaths between 1975 and 2016 (Tamboet al., 2017). Universities in Kenya have experienced many physical and IT security incidents, most of which have remained unreported (Oguk, 2018). The terrorist attack on April 2, 2015, at Garissa University, in which 137 students lost their lives and 79 were injured, was the worst security threat event that has occurred in the history of Kenyan universities (Mutegi, 2017).

Security challenges within universities include theft, burglary, sabotage, fire, riots, threats of physical violence against facilities and individuals, terrorism, and breaches of information systems or cybercrime (Mutegi, 2017). Universities have also experienced cultism, kidnapping, violent acts, rape, physical assaults, and, in some cases, murder (Koriret al., 2017). Universities face insecurity due to opportunities for theft and vandalism of valuable items at night and on weekends, as well as inadequate security control programmes (Mutegi, 2017).

Emergency preparedness in institutions encompasses a plan to avert an emergency, a plan for response, emergency reconstruction, and plan coordination and cooperation during an emergency (Larson, 2011; Shaw, 2002; Simatwa, 2007).

In the face of security challenges, security preparedness management makes university security management possible through using available resources to achieve educational goals. These include organization, mobilization and maintenance of all the human, material, financial and time resources for efficient and effective teaching and learning (Auya & Ndombi, 2015; Ngulum, 2019). Universities offer soft targets for security threats, including terrorism attacks, which are exacerbated by inadequate security control programmes, which make the institutions unsafe for students (Oguk, 2018). The situation points to the need to improve existing and develop new approaches to insecurity preparedness management.

In view of the above, this study sought to find out the relationship between security emergency preparedness and security management in public universities, with reference to Garissa University, Kenya. Over the years, Kenya has experienced many incidents of insecurity that have not spared universities. Security emergencies cause casualties, losses and disruptions of many activities in universities, leading to fear, anxiety, injury and even death. Universities seek to achieve the core missions of teaching and learning, research and community service. However, over the years, these institutions have continued to experience numerous incidents of insecurity in university facilities and individuals. Security emergency preparedness is among the strategies that universities may utilize to prevent the occurrence of security threats. However, these measures have not been entirely successful. Additionally, the number of academic studies on security emergency preparedness is low despite the increased number of complex emergencies and new threats to universities. The few who have attempted to tackle the subject have made limited efforts to explore security emergency preparedness and management. This study, therefore, focused on how security emergency preparedness has affected security in public universities in Kenya, with specific reference to Garissa University, hence the rationale for this study.

Method

This study was conducted at Garissa University in Garissa County. Kenya. This study site was chosen because the University was the most recently hit with the highest casualties in East and Central Africa. On Thursday, April 2, 2015, gunmen attacked the university, which is situated near the border with Somalia. The data was quantitative, and the research adopted a descriptive survey design. Descriptive survey research collects primary data based on communication with a representative sample of individuals. The design will allow respondents to provide information about themselves, their attitudes and beliefs, demographics and other past, present and future behaviours (Cozby, 2003). This design was appropriate for this study due to its ability to investigate the attitudes and opinions of respondents on how emergency preparedness has influenced security in public universities in Kenya concerning Garissa University. The design also allows the study to use multiple methods of data collection to yield data to answer both quantitative and qualitative data to answer the research question.

A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the internal security officers at the university. This study was conducted at Garissa University in Garissa County. Kenya. This study site was chosen because the University was the most recently hit with the highest casualties in East and Central Africa. On Thursday, April 2, 2015, gunmen attacked the university, which is situated near the border with Somalia. The attackers killed 148 and injured 79 before detonating suicide vests when cornered by security forces (Pateet al., 2015).

Further, being in a banditry-prone area, the university may be more vulnerable to terror-related activities than any university in Kenya. This study assumed that this area would provide a better coverage of the phenomenon under study. The study sample was 108 internal security officers at the university. The study utilized a census sample sampling technique to arrive at this sample. According to Kothari (2004), the census is a complete enumeration of all items in the population. As is always the case with all census inquiries, all the respondents will be enlisted; hence, no element of chance will be left. The rationale for using the sample of 108 is that the target population is manageable, and the respondents can be accessed easily. The paper concludes that there is a need for the institution to employ more information technology experts to curb attacks on the institution’s system.

There is a need for the university to invest in modern and advanced information technology infrastructure and systems to tackle cyber-attacks, and the institution needs to employ more security personnel to undertake security duties to deter emergencies.

Results

Existing Types of Emergency Situations and their Effect on Security at Garissa University

This study sought to find out the common types of emergency situations in the university of study, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Existing types of emergency situations in the study institution (%).

The study established that the study institution’s most common type of emergency is terror-related attacks (53%). The study established that the 2015 terror attacks in the university still ringed in people’s minds. The attack had severe implications for the students, parents, security agents, and even the local community. The study established that the institution faces terror attacks since Garissa and other counties in the northeastern part of Kenya are affected mainly by terror attacks due to their proximity to Somalia. The respondents assert that terror-related activities are the common type of emergency in the study institution. The key informant confirmed this information, who argued that the institution is in a terror-prone area. This is because of the proximity of Garissa town to Somalia, which is the source of terrorists who create havoc in the Kenyan territory.

However, other emergencies that emerged in the study included cyber-attacks (23% response), where, in some instances, attackers try to enter the university system to steal information and valuable data for their benefit. The attackers, who happen to be either from within or outside the country, have, in several instances, tried to hack the system. However, our information technology team has thwarted the attempts in most cases. Student unrest-related violence (20%) is also featured as an emergency in the study institution, where student discontent with university policies sometimes occurs when the student perceives such policies as not favouring them. In some situations, this brings about tension, which requires security action to avert strikes and damage to property in the institution.

On the reasons for emergencies, the study established that the occurrence of emergencies in the study institution is propagated by inadequate security personnel (32%). The study revealed that available security personnel could not adequately perform security duties in the study institution due to their limited number. The finding emerged during key informant interviews, in which the informants thought the inadequacy of the security personnel contributed to emergencies. The other reasons for emergencies in the study institution include the proximity of the institution to the border of Somalia (31%), information technology-related aspects (18%), and student-related factors (17%).

How emergencies affect security in the study institution: the study established that emergencies have mainly affected the institution’s free movement (34%). The study found that fear of insecurity, especially those related to terror attacks, has instilled fear in both the students and staff, and this has curtailed their movement. The terror attack in 2015 has made students and staff to be cautious by hindering their free movement due to security reasons. This was confirmed during the key informant interview. The other effects of emergencies on security in the study institution include the destruction of property (26%), loss of lives (23%) and stealing of information (13%).

Institutional Emergency Response Strategies and Their Effect on Security in Garissa University

The second objective of the study was to investigate how institutional emergency response strategies and emergency response strategies have affected security in the study institution, as indicated in Table I.

Table I. Institutional Emergency Response Strategies in the Institution

Emergency response strategies	Frequency	Percentage
Allocation of resources	15	14
Training	29	28
Provision of detailed emergency communication procedure	23	23
Development of evacuation routes	18	19
Others	5	5
Total	105	100

As presented in Table I, training (28%) is the common emergency response strategy the university uses to face emergencies when they arise. The study established that the university management has put concerted effort into training the security personnel on emergency response to equip them with relevant skills in emergency response. The study revealed that the strategy has helped address emergencies in the study institution. During key informant interviews, the findings were echoed by the informants.

However, the study revealed other common emergency response strategies that were not as common as training (28%). The strategies included the provision of a detailed communication procedure for emergency response (23%), in which the university provided details on the telephone numbers to call in case of any emergencies so that necessary departments could act swiftly to help the staff. Students help the university security department and other external institutions to act and address an emergency when it arises. In addition, the university undertakes drills (14%) to gauge emergency responses by the staff and students. The drills are undertaken periodically to help the security team assess the response by staff and students in the institution. According to this, the drills have greatly assisted the university in adequately preparing staff and students to face emergencies within the institution. The university has developed evacuation routes in the event of an emergency (19%). The study found that the university has properly marked evacuation routes to help staff and students escape emergencies.

The study established that emergency response strategies have influenced security in the institution by enhancing emergency preparedness (34%). The study established that the university has put in place measures to face emergencies when they occur, fostering security. The information was reported during key informant interviews, during which the informants said that emergency response strategies have enhanced security in the institution because the university is ready to face an emergency by allocating resources and forming a formidable security team to deal with any emergency.

However, the study established that 33% of respondents thought that the emergency response strategies had enhanced awareness of the staff and students on emergency response, and 30% reported that emergency response strategies had fostered security in the institution by creating sufficient exit routes. In comparison, 3% maintained that the institution’s emergency response strategies had affected security in “other” ways.

Influence of Institutional Emergency Planning on the Security of the Study Institution

The last objective of the study was to establish how institutional emergency planning has affected security at Garissa University.

To achieve this objective, the study began by inquiring about the common emergency plans that the institution has put in place to curb emergency situations and then analyzed how emergency planning has affected security at the institution of study. The findings are presented in Table II.

Table II. Effect of Emergency Situation Response on Security in the Institution

Observed effect	Frequency	Percentage
Enhanced emergency preparedness	36	34
Increased awareness of emergency response	35	33
Developed sufficient exit routes	29	30
Others	3	3
Total	105	100

On common emergency plans for the university to curb insecurity in the institution, the study established that strict checking at the gate (41%) is the most common plan that the university has used to deal with emergency situations within its compound. According to the findings, anyone entering the university has to undergo strict checking at the gate by the police officers who frisk an individual and the bags and luggage to ensure that there is no threat or weapon a person is carrying in the university that will breach security at the institution or that may trigger emergency situations. The finding indicated that the university has tightened the rules of individuals’ access to the university by ensuring that everyone entering the university has the right reason for doing so and is carrying authorized material to that effect. The security officers at the gate have to undertake individuals or visitors through thorough checks before they are allowed into the university. They have to be frisked to see whether they are carrying any weapons, and their detail taken. The information was confirmed during key informant interviews.

However, other common emergency plans by the institution that featured in the study included building a perimeter wall to control entry to the university (22%) by preventing entry of visitors from any point instead of a designated exit and entry points manned by security officials, and the coordination of security matters in the university by the police (31%) where security coordination by security guards was replaced by the police officers following the terror attack in 2015. The use of police to coordinate the security of the institution is perceived to be more significant because of the specialized security training the officers undergo and the superior weapons they use as opposed to the security guards.

Regarding how institutional emergency planning has affected security at the institution, the study established that emergency planning in the study institution had enhanced security through control of movement (39%). The study revealed that the university has built a perimeter wall to ensure that entry to the institution is via a common gate. This has greatly enhanced the security of students and staff in the institution. The information was confirmed by key informants who opined that the university had enhanced the security of staff and students by building a parameter wall to control movements to and out of the institution.

Although control of movement (39%) is the major way emergency planning has affected security at the institution, the study revealed that controlled movements of luggage (33%) where the university’s security conducts a thorough search of bags and luggage entering and leaving the university to ensure that no weapons are smuggled into the university for the security of staff and students. In addition, recording details of visitors (24%) was another effect of emergency planning on security in the study institution where details of visitors, including National Identification card (ID) details, are recorded to help to know the visitors entering the institution for trace in case of any emergency situations including criminal-related emergencies.

Conclusion

The study concludes that the common types of emergency situations in the study institution are terror-related attacks. The 2015 terror attacks in the institution are still in the minds of the people because the attack had severe implications for the students, parents, security agents, and even the local community. The study also concludes that training is the common emergency situation response strategy that the university is utilizing in readiness to face an emergency when it arises. This is based on the university’s efforts to put a concerted effort to train the security personnel on emergency situations response to equip them with relevant skills in emergency situations response. In addition, strict checking at the gates where anyone entering the university should be done to deter criminals from accessing the academic institution.