Rethinking the Agency of Civil Maritime Security Actors in the Exploitation of Kenya’s Blue Economy Resources

Policing the world’s oceans has increasingly become a shared function between defence and civil security actors due to the ever-emerging challenges. With their finite nature and the increasing appetite for blue economy resources, a new challenge of securing this vast area emerges. The purpose of the study was to determine the contribution of civil maritime security actors in the extraction of blue economy resources in Africa. Specifically, the study sought to analyse the security dynamics that inform the integration of civil maritime security actors into the blue economy space and the nature, forms, and responsiveness of security strategies adopted to facilitate sustainable exploitation of blue economy resources in Kenya’s territorial waters. Theoretically, the study was anchored on the structural functionalism and securitization theories. The study was anchored on a pragmatic research paradigm, incorporating a descriptive research design. Data was collected from a sample size of 188 respondents using questionnaires and key informant interview guides. The resulting qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, while the quantitative data set was analysed using a mix of descriptive and inferential statistics, such as the chi-square tests. This study found a Pearson chi-square value of 4.113 at 4 degrees of freedom and a p-value of 0.091. This finding depicts that there is a significant relationship between security dynamics and exploitation of blue economy resources at the 0.1 level of significance. This study also found a Pearson chi-square value of 4.001 at 3 degrees of freedom, which implies the presence of a significant relationship between nature, form, and responsiveness of security strategies and exploitation of blue economy resources. In addition to these findings, a joint policy framework and the need for collaboration in various matters pertaining to maritime security, such as sharing of data and information, were found to be critical in successful exploitation of blue economy resources. This study recommends adoption of regional partnerships and joint training among actors in enhancing protection of blue economy resources.