Issue 20: The Threat of Kenyan Al Shabab Recruits and Returnees

This brief explores the question of radicalization, recruitment, and involvement of Kenyan youth in al Shabab’s terror. It examines motivations behind these trends and pathways to recruitment of Kenyan youth by foreign terrorist groups. To stop home-grown terror, Kenya should roll out a comprehensive Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) strategy which includes expanding access to education for formerly marginalized regions, establishing an effective community policing architecture, offering amnesty for Kenyans recruited into al Shabab, accompanying the amnesty with DDR programs, monitoring the movement of Kenyan youth to and from Somalia, promoting social cohesion and inter-faith relations, and mainstreaming CVE education in schools and institutions of higher learning.