Involving Youth in Preventing Violent Extremism in North Eastern Kenya

Radicalization into Violent extremism is a major security threat in many parts of the world. In Africa, many regions have been affected by this menace, with the Horn of Africa being the most affected. The Horn of Africa appears to be the epicenter of this malady perhaps due to its conducive environment. Though radicalization into violent extremism largely targets the youth, this age group has not been fully engaged in preventing violent extremism. Thus, this study examines how and why youth should be involved in preventing violent extremism in North Eastern Kenya. Since the study is qualitative in nature, the primary data used in this study was obtained through the in-depth semi-structured interviews. Leaders of various local NGOs, youth groups, security officials, women groups and local administrators who are versed with the subject matter were interviewed. The data was later analyzed by triangulating primary and secondary sources. The study depicts that youth ought to be involved in preventing violent extremism due to their ability to communicate and easily mobilize their fellow youth, who are principally targeted for radicalization. Youth could be meaningfully engaged by establishing youth advisory boards where they can give their views on how to prevent violent extremism. They should be involved in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of programs fighting violent extremism. Involving youth in these programs is very key since they are not only a strategic population in the fight against violent extremism, but they also provide safety nets for their colleagues who recant radicalization. This study thus underlines the need to involve youth in preventing violent extremism.