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Controlling Crime and Corruption from Below: Sungusungu in Kenya

London School of Economics, UK

This article deals with the history and development of sungusungu organisations in Kenyan Kuria from 1998 to the present time and the radical changes it has initiated. Developing out of indigenous organisation, sungusungu arose initially to provide a means of controlling theft, particularly cattle raiding. Operating with the sanction of the district administration, local norms of crime, trial and punishment were developed, distinct from those embodied in the national penal code. Guarding their independence, groups have kept their distance from the police and judiciary to avoid the systemic corruption of those institutions. In distancing themselves from the more corrupt aspects of the state, and acting against it within their areas of operation, these groups have had far-reaching effects on local security, to the extent that their success holds out possibilities for them to extend their activities into other spheres.

Key Words: community policing • corruption • indigenous government • Kuria (Kenya) • sungusungu • vigilantism

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