Washington D.C. is fundamentally shifting its security strategy, ordering National Guard soldiers to patrol alongside local police after two service members were shot in a brazen attack. The move plunges the American capital into a heated debate, familiar to many Kenyans, about the appropriate use of military force to maintain domestic order.

The policy change was triggered by a deadly ambush on Wednesday near the White House, which resulted in the death of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. A second soldier, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. This attack prompted an immediate review of how the roughly 2,200 troops, deployed under former President Trump's "Safe and Beautiful Task Force," operate in the city.

Initially, the Guard's presence was credited by the Trump administration with reducing street crime by allowing city police to focus on other duties. However, this new plan for joint patrols could undermine that very rationale, as it ties up police officers who were previously freed up. An email to district leadership, reported by the Washington Post, confirmed that police officers will now conduct "high-visibility patrols with the national guard."

A Familiar Dilemma for Kenya

The turn of events in Washington offers a striking parallel to ongoing security discussions in Kenya. The deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to support the National Police Service (NPS) in regions battling banditry, such as the North Rift under 'Operation Maliza Uhalifu', or during national emergencies, consistently raises constitutional and operational questions.

Just as in D.C., where the National Guard lacks the specific training of city police, the use of KDF in domestic security highlights the tension between military force and civilian law enforcement. In Kenya, legal frameworks like Article 241 of the Constitution and the KDF Act of 2012 govern such deployments, requiring them to be gazetted and reported to the National Assembly to ensure oversight. Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has previously assured lawmakers that these deployments are subject to strict legal safeguards and codes of conduct.

The core issues are strikingly similar:

• Use of Force: How to balance a robust security response with the rights of citizens.
• Chain of Command: Ensuring seamless coordination between military and police, a challenge that has sometimes created friction in Kenyan joint operations.
• Public Perception: The risk of militarizing public spaces and altering the relationship between the state and its citizens.

While the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. remained tight-lipped on operational specifics, a spokesperson acknowledged the "close coordination" with the National Guard. The situation remains "fluid," but the direction points towards a more integrated, and more militarized, street-level presence in the U.S. capital.

As Washington navigates this complex new phase of domestic security, Kenyan policymakers and citizens will watch with keen interest. The outcomes, both positive and negative, could offer valuable lessons for a nation that continues to grapple with its own internal security challenges and the ever-present question of when, and how, to call upon its soldiers to police its own streets.