Influence of Specific Cultural Factors on the Demand for Private Security Services in Garissa Township, Kenya

Private security services are indispensable for mitigating safety concerns in high-risk settings such as Garissa Township, Kenya, yet the precise drivers of demand among local entrepreneurs have remained under-investigated. This study set out to determine how specific cultural influences shape entrepreneurs' propensity to purchase private security services. Anchored in rational choice theory and institutional theory, the research adopted a mixed-methods embedded design, combining a quantitative survey of 182 entrepreneurs drawn from the Garissa Township Central Business District with qualitative insights from eight private-security firm managers. Stratified random sampling ensured proportional sectoral representation, while key informants were purposively selected. Multiple linear regression analyses conducted using SPSS version 28 revealed that historical experiences of insecurity (β = 0.195, p = 0.007) and greater trust in private security providers over public ones (β = 0.200, p = 0.006) were the dominant cultural drivers, while clan norms alone had no measurable effect (β = -0.080, p = 0.264). Trust deficits in state institutions were reflected in the negative coefficient for trust in public police (β = -0.191, p = 0.008). Qualitative data corroborated these patterns, with firms reporting a 40% spike in CCTV orders within 48 hours of terror alerts from Somalia and widespread scepticism towards police timeliness. The study concludes that experiential memory of past attacks and relative institutional trust jointly determine demand, and it proposes multi-stakeholder governance forums involving clan elders, religious leaders, and police commanders to expand equitable access to protective services while mitigating cultural barriers and addressing institutional trust deficits. Keywords: Private security services, cultural factors, institutional trust, historical insecurity, Garissa Township, Kenya