The state has traditionally undertaken maintenance of security and good order for the citizens. But due to the deficiencies in governments, other actors have been looked upon to supplement the supply of security services. The commercial security industry, which has developed and grown expansively, is one. The sector provides policing services to their subscribed consumers. Despite the commercialised security industry growing in Nairobi, Kenya, few studies have assessed the limitations of commercialised security to impact national security on national security positively. The study took on a cross-sectional survey design. A multistage sampling technique was employed to obtain the respondents. Questionnaires, scheduled interviews and structured observation were used to collect data. These descriptive statistics were used to summarise variables into thematic areas and convey key variables' characteristics. The study identified six limitations: not being armed with firearms was the most mentioned, poor working conditions of guards was second mentioned, lack of courtesy by guards was the third most mentioned, lack of trust by the state security agencies was the fourth, and last was, lack of regulation and licensing. The study concluded that the limitations of commercialised security on national security bring the hurdles the industry faces to the fore. Consequently, the country should have favourable mechanisms to oversee the industry's continuous reevaluation. The suitable means can only be realised through the stakeholders' consultation: the commercial security industry, the citizens and the state. Thus, the study recommended that the Private Security Regulation Authority start implementing some of the requirements in the PSRA No. 13 of 2016.It meant to streamline the industry in terms of the training of the security guards, remunerations of the security guards, minimum requirements for recruitment and working environments.

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Maintenance of security and good order for the citizens, had traditionally been undertaken by the state. However, non-state actors have come up to offer security to those who can afford to pay for it. And this is the liberalists view of the provision of security that, the pursuance of security can be achieved with the involvement of other actors offering the same. Despite this development, few studies have examined commercialized security industry services on national security in Kenya. Using Security Governance theory and Network Analysis theory, this study sought to understand the topic. The study took on a cross sectional survey design, and was carried out in Nairobi with the adult residents as the target population. A multistage sampling technique was employed to obtain the respondents. Questionnaires, scheduled interviews and structured observation were used to collect data. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25, 2017) was used in data management and analysis. The results demonstrate that (1) Manned guarding significantly contributes to the 26 % of outcome of the commercialized security B = .260, β = .135, P = .007; (2) Alarm and Electronics 22.9 %; B = .229, β = .224, P = .001; (3) CVIT security service contributes significantly and positively at 10.8 %; B = .108, β = .118, P = .018. While commercial investigative security service 3.6 % (B = .036, β = .084, P < = .103 although it was not significant. The study concluded that, commercialized security though motivated by profit making plays a significant role that enhances state capacity in provision of security as well as contributes to safety of citizens. Thus the study recommended that, there should be efforts to increase the usage of commercialized security investigation service. It is expected that the findings of this research will provide data that can be used to inform policy and practice amongst commercial security providers to increase their impact on national security in Kenya. The data can also stimulate the academic community towards more research in the field.

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Commercialised security has grown and developed in Kenya. This is attributed to citizens' many security demands on the state. Hence they turn to commercialised security to complement. Despite this development, few studies have studied the best practices of commercialised security on national security. The study took on a cross-sectional survey design. It was done in Nairobi involving adult residents. A multistage sampling technique was employed to obtain the wards to be studied. Those managing or purchasing the commercialised security services for their establishments and the managers of commercialised security firms were purposively sampled. The general public and the security guards were systematically sampled. Questionnaires and scheduled interviews were used to collect data. The SPSS version 25 was employed in data management and analysis. In the research, descriptive statistics included percentages and frequency distribution tables to summarise variables into thematic areas and convey the characteristics of critical variables. The study identified five best practices of commercialised security on national security: improvement in working conditions of the security personnel, adequate training and development, cooperation with the state security agencies, aftersale service and enforcement of regulations. The study concluded that the favourable mechanisms could only be realised through the consultation of the stakeholders: the commercial security industry, the citizens and the state. Thus the study recommended that The Private Security Regulation Authority needs to implement some of the requirements in the PSRA No. 13 of 2016.