Kenya is nation of multiple ethnicities and a rich culture that is a driving force in East Africa's economy. However, it is also heavily influenced by Al-Shabaab, an armed group primarily operating in neighboring Somalia. These attacks have resulted in numerous casualties in the northeastern region near the Somali border, along the coast, and in the capital, Nairobi. High unemployment rates in Kenya lead many young people to resort to crimes such as theft and drug use to survive. Their social isolation increases the risk of them joining the armed group. Furthermore, prisons that hold and incarcerate inmates who have participated in terrorist activities lack adequate support systems. This leads to increased discontent within prisons, the spread of extremism, and difficulties in reintegrating into society after release.

Initiatives in Kenya

We are working in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JICA, UN agencies, and foreign government agencies to support prisoners involved in armed groups, and unemployed youth in finding alternative paths to violence as well as strengthening the support systems that underpin them.

1. Prevention of Joining Armed Groups and Radicalization

Supporting unemployed youth and gangs to generate income

We target unemployed young people and gang members who are in vulnerable positions in semi-slum areas of the capital Nairobi, and we provide vocational training and business plan building support, as well as life skills training such as goal setting, money management, and communication skills. We also teach specific occupational skills including smartphone repair skills, simple design, and computer skills. This encourages them to generate income through small-scale entrepreneurship, build relationships with society, and support them with living without resorting to violence.

2. Rehabilitation and social reintegration support

We are working to rehabilitate inmates involved in terrorism at maximum security prisons in Nairobi, the capital, Mombasa on the coast, and Kisumu in the west. Drawing on our experience in Somalia and Yemen, we work with prison authorities to implement programs such as care counseling, vocational training, religious reeducation, and anti disillusionment sessions. Furthermore, by holding dialogue events that promote mutual understanding between local communities and former inmates, we are also helping to foster reconciliation.

3. Strengthening support systems

We are conducting training to strengthen the capacity of local government officials who support vulnerable youth in semi-slum areas, as well as correctional officers and probation officers who support the reintegration of inmates in prisons. The main training content includes building relationships with target participants, care counseling, and support for generating income after vocational training, and methods of religious re-education through two-way dialogue. At the same time, we are also renovating the prison facilities by installing new counseling facilities and repairing vocational training facilities.

Past Initiative

Supporting the Reintegration of Somali Youth

Since 2013, we have been providing social reintegration support primarily to Somali youth gangs in the capital, Nairobi. While they were excluded from the local community as criminals, they faced a harsh environment of discrimination and harassment from Kenyan society, high unemployment rates, and unstable security. Therefore, in addition to awareness reform programs that help them realize their own potential while acting as agents of social change, we have provided skills training and regular counseling over a long period of time. As a result of these efforts, in 2018 we were able to hold a dissolution ceremony for the three major gang organizations with each having around 170 members. Nowadays, most young people get jobs, support their families, and lead peaceful lives.

Youth reception center in the northeast Mandera

At the request of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT), we were implementing the One Stop Youth Resource Center Project, a joint project to prevent youth radicalization in northeast Mandera, bordering Somalia. Mandera is an area where the risk of young people becoming radicalized is high due to the presence of Al-Shabaab recruiters based in Somalia, a history of being marginalized by the central government, and how many people actually travel to Somalia to join the organization. Despite its importance, it has been left out of international support due to frequent attacks, kidnappings, and poor geographical access. We were responsible for training Mandera state government officials, holding workshops on countering violent extremism, and creating modules within the same project.

Support for strengthening resilience to climate change and conflict in Turkana-Garissa County

As a project implementation partner of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), we conduct conflict resolution workshops and vocational training for communities vulnerable to climate change. Although pastoralists make up the majority of the population in the Turkana district in the northwest and Garissa District in the northeast, many livestock are dying due to lack of water and pasture because of droughts mainly caused by climate change. This has led to increased conflicts among pastoralist communities over limited resources and livestock raiding, as well as increased risks of malnutrition and starvation. In order to improve this humanitarian situation and strengthen the resilience of communities vulnerable to climate change, we supported the formulation of action plans for conflict resolution and prevention through workshops, and provided vocational training to pastoralists to improve their livelihoods.