Jobs and education will end youth radicalization – Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that education and job opportunities are solutions to radicalization.

Speaking at to the youth at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, the Pope said there is nothing much the young people can do if they have no job opportunity or a good education.

“Why do young people who are full of ideals allow to be radicalized this way? They leave their families, country, and their lives behind to learn how to kill,” said the Holy Father.

“Many youth who have no work or education live a life of delinquency, fall into drug abuse and even commit suicide,” said the Pope. “That is when radicalization begins. The first thing we have to do to stop radicalization is education and job opportunities.”

Pope Francis noted that the lack of possibilities leads to a bad path.

“God is stronger than any recruitment campaign,” he said passionately. “Pray really hard. When you don’t understand something pray, when in despair, look at the cross.”

The Pope urged the society to welcome youth into their groups and not leave them alone.

“Invite them to watch football and with great patience, invite them to walk with you, to be together in your group, do not allow them to remain alone.”

The Pope’s statements come at a time when the country is facing an uphill task of dealing with the high number of radicalization cases among the youth.

In June, Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery said that over 200 youth who had joined Al Shabaab militia group had surrendered to the government.

Nkaissery said the Al Shabaab recruits surrendered during the amnesty window announced by the government as a means of ending radicalization in the country.

Though he did not delve deeper into the matter, the Interior CS said that the government will not backtrack on its promise not to prosecute the recruits.