Efficacy of Fingerprint and Facial Recognition in Enhancing National Security in Kenya

This study explores the efficacy of fingerprint and facial recognition technologies in enhancing national security in Kenya. As the issue of crime, fraud, and border security has been increasing, the use of biometric systems has been embraced to enhance the process of identity verification in government agencies. The study was guided by securitization theory, which frames issues as security threats requiring urgent attention, and diffusion of innovation theory, which examines how new technologies spread and are adopted. Securitization Theory highlighted biometric systems as key to national security, while Diffusion of Innovation Theory helped explain the factors influencing public acceptance. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by a mixed-approach methodology. The questionnaire that was prepared was given to 397 randomly selected members of the population and 30 governmental officials (National Police Officers, Immigration Personnel, KRA Customs Officials and National Intelligence Personnel. Also, 30 key informant interviews were carried out to collect in-depth knowledge of their perceptions, experiences, and issues on biometric systems. The analysis of the data was conducted based on the descriptive statistics and the regression analysis to find connections among the factors that affect the national security. This research sought to evaluate familiarity, implementation, accuracy, and effect of the use of biometric systems on crime detection, reduction of fraud, and effectiveness of the border security. The results indicate that 89.6% of the respondents are conversant with biometric systems, and 83% of them (respondents) indicate the presence of such technologies in their respective organizations. On accuracy, majority of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied (80.2%) with the performance of these systems. Nonetheless, issues of system failures, lack of training, and opposition by the populace were noted as obstacles to the complete adoption of biometric technologies. Although these have been raised, 80.2% of the respondents noted that biometric systems have a positive effect on crime detection and reduction of frauds, with almost half (47.2%) indicating that the effects are significant. The research findings are that biometric systems are a positive contribution toward the national security in Kenya, but their success is adversely affected by the operational and social barriers. The recommendations of this study were investing in the upgrades of infrastructure, offering continuous staff training, dealing with issues of public trust, fortification of legal frameworks, and encouraging inter-agency cooperation, enhancing integration and effectiveness. Through these issues, Kenya will be able to realize the full potential of biometric technologies in securing the borders of the country and advancing the law enforcement process.