The central question this thesis addresses is ‘how does foreign aid affect human security in Kenya?’ Kenya, as a sub-Saharan African country and recipient of large-scale foreign aid, is a microcosm of what is happening in Africa and a good place to start a thorough investigation into the effectiveness of foreign aid to poor countries. More than US$1 trillion has been transferred to Africa from rich countries in development-related aid in the last fifty years, but evidence indicates that poverty levels continue to surge upwards. The key challenges to foreign aid effectiveness in Kenya as identified through the existing literature and confirmed in the results chapters are the rising complexities of Kenyan human security issues, the legacies of colonialism and neo-colonial practices as well as foreign aid’s controversies, including corruption, bureaucracy, donor fatigue and international actors’ hidden agenda. A qualitative research methodology involving traveling to Kenya to conduct face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with local Kenyans and residents who have direct knowledge about the foreign aid scheme’s processes and practices was the most appropriate method to investigate individuals’ lived experiences. The locals’ original accounts have been triangulated with the material from primary and secondary sources to inform this study. Apart from providing a geo-political analysis of the long-term effects of colonialism in a key African country, this investigation of the foreign aid schemes intends to contribute further knowledge and firsthand information necessary to reshape and improve the processes and practices, for the benefit of both the donors and the intended beneficiaries.