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The Nairobian

Youth empowerment is key in the fight against violent extremism

Opinion

By Rayhab Wangari | Mar 19, 2025

**Youths cut grass in atreanch along Kisii Kiligoris road under Kazi Mtaani programme**. [File, Standard]

As Kenya grapples with the persistent threat of violent extremism, youths are the centre of both the challenge and the solution. In the National Strategy to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (NSPCVE) 2025-2030, youth engagement and empowerment are recognised as not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity.

However, despite this recognition and significant efforts, barriers to meaningful youth participation in preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) persist. This in the long run threaten the long-term success of these initiatives.

Violent extremism in Kenya has evolved into a multifaceted threat affecting all sectors. Terror groups such as Al Shabaab are known to exploit socio-economic inequalities, political marginalisation, and grievances stemming from systemic injustices to recruit members.

Data Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies shows that recruitment among young Kenyans is due to unemployment, exclusion, and limited opportunities.

This reality calls for a shift by governments from a purely security-driven approach to a soft one prioritising inclusivity, empowerment, and resilience. Young people are some of the most affected groups by these challenges and are the primary targets of extremist recruitment and potential architects of a peaceful future.

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Systemic barriers, which include socio-economic exclusion, inadequate engagement mechanisms, and lack of trust between young people and authorities, continue to marginalise them from decision-making processes that directly impact their lives.

There needs to be a recognition by the government and agencies responding to these threats that empowering the youth is not just a development agenda but a counter-extremism strategy.

The national government and like-minded partners should seek to emulate and replicate the success that has been achieved by initiatives like the Kenya Youth Employment Opportunities Project, Kazi Mtaani, and the Ajira Digital Programme.

The programmes have demonstrated that there is potential of economic empowerment, reducing vulnerabilities to radicalisation. Young people need to be equipped for meaningful participation in some of these programmes that will, in the end, address some of the root causes of violent extremism.

But the main challenge of such programmes remains insufficient funding, policy coherence, and integration with PCVE messaging which limits their impact. To mitigate these challenges, more focus needs to be put towards the programmes as well as the integration of the target groups.

PCVE objectives should be woven into empowerment programmes to ensure a holistic approach. This also calls for a centralised framework to streamline initiatives across the private sector, development partners, government ministries, and departments.

This approach will reduce duplication of roles and ensure that programmes are responsive to the diverse needs of young people. These programmes need to trickle down to the grassroots.

All policies and programmes need to reflect the realities of youth in urban informal settlements, arid regions, and other marginalised areas. Rebuilding of trust between the youth and security agencies through community dialogues and youth-centred forums is essential to fostering collaboration and ownership of PCVE initiatives.

Tailored interventions such as scholarships, vocational training, and representation in decision-making bodies can address the existing vulnerabilities that offer an opportunity for the groups to recruit.

The experiences of young people shaped by different factors such as gender and socio-economic status should form the foundation of PCVE responses.