Intelligence and State-Building

This master’s thesis contributes to the theoretical development of the role of intelligence services in state-building. To that end it establishes a theoretical framework consisting of current research in the field of intelligence and state-building. The role of the Kenyan intelligence services in the Kenyan state-building endeavor is then thoroughly analyzed using a range of primary and secondary materials, as well as a number of interviews with individuals central to the Kenyan intelligence reforms. This thesis then merges the Kenyan case study with the established theoretical framework to form a number of theoretical reductions on intelligence and state-building. This thesis offers a number of insights into the role of intelligence and state-building, providing theoretical spectacles through which some of these processes can be understood. By doing so it identifies interesting and important fields where further research is needed. It also underscores the general need to further study the role of intelligence services, especially in new democracies, to advance the understanding of contemporary state-building