Kenyan companies are entering 2026 on edge as political instability and civil unrest overtake economic turmoil as the country’s dominant business risks, marking a sharp change in corporate security priorities after a year of protests and economic strain.
- •According to new data from the World Security Report 2025 by Allied Universal and G4S, 45% of Kenya’s chief security officers identify political instability as their biggest concern for the year ahead, while 43% point to civil unrest; both well above Sub-Saharan Africa’s regional averages.
- •Economic instability, long the top threat for Kenyan firms, has eased to 41%, down from 52% in 2024.
- •The shift follows months of youth-led demonstrations that disrupted business operations nationwide and pushed security preparedness to the forefront of corporate planning.
One in five companies now expects to be directly affected by protests or riots in the next year, the highest rate reported anywhere in the region.
“Political and civil unrest can have an immediate and costly impact on businesses and investor confidence, and security leaders are preparing to bolster their physical security programmes in response,” said Laurence Okelo, Managing Director of G4S Kenya.
“The predicted easing of economic instability provides some room for optimism, but companies must continue building resilience through security upgrades, workforce safety and contingency planning,” he added.
While macroeconomic anxiety has slightly abated, Kenya’s business environment remains fragile. Fraud has emerged as the leading external threat, cited by 41% of firms, underscoring how financial stress continues to drive illicit activity. Nearly half of companies report suffering revenue losses linked to security incidents, and many have faced rising insurance costs.
Kenyan firms are responding with significant spending increases. About 79% of them plan to raise physical security budgets in 2026, focusing on technology investments, risk assessments, and compliance measures. The majority of companies intend to upgrade surveillance systems, strengthen access controls, and expand staff training, reflecting a broader global trend toward digitalized and integrated security operations.
Across all markets, the report found that security incidents are becoming more financially consequential. Globally, an internal or external breach can reduce the value of a listed company by an average of 32%. Two-thirds of corporate security leaders expect their physical security budgets to rise over the next year, and most institutional investors surveyed believe physical security deserves greater strategic priority than it currently receives.
In Kenya, misinformation has become a critical complicating factor. About 78% of companies say they have been targeted by misinformation or disinformation campaigns and 40% believe that at least half of all threat actors are influenced by such content. The spread of false narratives, often amplified online, is increasingly linked to physical disruption and reputational damage.
Fraud, theft, and malicious property damage are the top anticipated global incidents for 2026, with 30%, 28%, and 27% of firms respectively expecting to be affected. Geopolitical tension is now considered a material business risk; with 78% of global chief security officers believing that such tensions will compromise supply chains in the coming year. In Africa, that vulnerability is even more acute, given the region’s reliance on imported goods and logistics corridors running through politically sensitive areas.
Nearly half of global companies plan to deploy AI-driven video surveillance, threat detection, and perimeter security tools in the next two years, while 93% intend to use technology to reduce threat likelihood or enhance human capabilities.
The World Security Report also underscores how Kenya’s corporate security landscape is evolving in line with global shifts. Eight in ten CSOs say there are greater demands on guards today than five years ago, and the majority believe people skills now matter more than physical strength.