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Investigations have been launched into reports that the young men from the North-Eastern region, especially Wajir county, targeted in purported military job opportunities outside the country were actually being lured into joining terror groups.

Security agencies launched the probe after Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi raised the alarm regarding recruitment efforts disguised as job opportunities in Syria, Israel and Russia, saying it was actually recruitment into joining the al Shabaab and ISIS terror groups.

“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 radicalised into joining militant groups be it al Shabaab, ISIS or joining all manner of terrorist groups,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that the youth from this region are being cheated that there are job opportunities to go and fight in Russia and Syria. We ask the parents to know where their children are,” he added.

Apart from the normal security operations, the government has also adopted a multipronged approach to fighting terror in the region including engaging the youth.

“Investigations into the reports have been launched even as the government and the county government of Wajir adopt other measures of dealing with terror,” a senior government official told People Daily.

Abdulahi has also 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 the youth out of trouble as they will be kept busy and also allow them to earn incentives in a proper manner,” he said.

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 radicalisation,” the governor emphasised.

Governor Abdullahi, who also serves as the vice-chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG), warned recruiters and radicalisers 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 radicalise our children into joining militia groups and you walk scot free, it will not be the case, the government shall deal decisively with such individuals,” he added.

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 stated.

Plastic factory

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 emphasised that 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 clean-up, road clearing, and plastic collection will span 30 days, providing youth with employment and incentives while reducing crime.

The country has witnessed a decrease in terror attacks in the last few months.

Though numerous plots by the Alshaabab and its network have been uncovered and neutralised ahead of time, several of the attacks have succeeded, resulting in the brutal killing of innocent civilians and security personnel.

Most of these attacks have taken place in Lamu and the general Boni enclave.

Two months ago, the government released photographs of 35 wanted terror suspects believed to be behind attacks in Lamu.

“The Government of Kenya has declared an all-out war on dangerously armed terrorists linked to the Alshabaab militants who bear the greatest responsibility for the atrocious murder of civilians and security personnel,” the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure said.

The attacks forced the government to abandon plans to reopen the border points between the two countries -which were closed 12 years ago due to the threat of terrorism -in phases.

Recently, alshabaab militants publicly executed seven militants including Kenyans for allegedly spying for governments of Somalia, Kenya and US.

Kenyans in alShabaab are targeted for elimination on trumped-up charges especially now that leadership wrangles are threatening to break the group, officials say.

According to the Global Terror Index (GTI), IS and its affiliates remained the world’s deadliest terrorist group in 2022, despite the deaths attributed to the group and its affiliates declining by 16 per cent from 2,194 to 1,833 deaths.

In 2022, the country most affected by IS terrorist attacks was Iraq, recording 183 attacks attributed to the group, a decrease from 344 attacks in 2021.

IS maintained its level of terrorist activity in Syria with approximately the same number of attacks, however these attacks resulted in more terrorism deaths by the group which increased to 344.