Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi Saturday raised an alarm over suspected recruitment efforts targeting youths from Northern Kenya.
According to Abdullahi, these recruitment efforts are allegedly disguised as job opportunities in Syria, Israel, and Russia. In reality, the youths are being lured into joining militant groups such as al-Shabaab and ISIS.
“We are asking our youths not to be cheated or hoodwinked with goodies that don’t exist; we are pleading with them not to be radicalized into joining militant groups be it Al Shabaab, ISIS, or joining all manner of terrorist groups.”
“It is unfortunate that the youth from this region are being cheated of their job opportunities to go and fight in Russia and Syria.
We ask the parents to know whether children are,” he added.
Abdullahi, who also serves as the vice-chairperson of the Council of Governors (COG), warned recruiters and radicalizers that the Kenyan government is aware of their activities and will take decisive action against them.
“Don’t think that you will come to this region, recruit and radicalize our children into joining militia groups and you walk scout-free, it will not be the case, the government shall deal decisively with such individuals,” he said.
The governor was speaking on Saturday when he launched the first phase of the Kazi Mtaani program, aiming to clean the Wajir Town Municipality, clear bushes, and unclog drainage post-El Niño rains.
“We’ll employ our youth through Kazi Mtaani to address the aftermath of the El Niño rains, which has led to overgrowth of bushes and excessive plastic litter in town,” the governor said.
Part of the clean-up effort, the governor explained, includes collecting plastic waste which will be deposited at the site earmarked to construct a recycling plant.
“We are setting up a plastic factory, which will be a recycling plant that will convert all the plastics into building and interlocking blocks and cabro for paving the roads” he revealed.
The governor emphasized the clean-up exercise is part of his administration’s goal of making Wajir Municipality plastic-free and improving sanitation to combat mosquito-borne diseases.
The cleanup, road clearing, and plastic collection will span 30 days, providing youth employment and incentives while reducing crime.
He instructed the County Sports Department to expand youth sports programs, ensuring year-round engagement and support for participants.
“We believe it will keep a lot of young men and young ladies off trouble as they will be kept busy and also allow them to earn a proper incentive,” he held, adding that the mop-up exercise will be devolved to sub-county headquarters.
To deter youth from extremist groups, the county will sponsor sports activities, providing uniforms, equipment, and prize money.
“This initiative aims to keep our youth occupied in constructive activities, preventing them from falling prey to radicalization,” the governor said.
The region has suffered repeated attacks that have rendered it inhabitable.
This has forced the government to suspend a plan to reopen the border that was closed in 2011.
Al Shabaab militants are behind the attacks.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al-Shabaab terrorists have been attacking places in the region especially in Mandera and Garissa counties after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.
The terrorists have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies attacking them.
