Police harassment to blame for rising insecurity Coastal youth

Security agencies could be missing out on information that could avert crimes at the Coast due to what the youth in the region term as ‘constant harassment’ by agents attached to different security agencies.

The youth pointed out the issue during a seminar dubbed the Coast Youth Conference on Countering Violent Extremism that brought together youth from the region at a hotel in Watamu on Thursday, May 25.

The panel heard that the constant harassment has made most of the youth to hesitate engaging the police due to their strained relationship.

Mr. Fahad Changi from MUHURI said that the government through the Interior Ministry needs to craft measures that will incorporate the youth adding that cooperation between the two parties will beef up security in the region.

“The amnesty program which was started by the government few years ago targeting youth who had joined terror groups flopped because of the disappearance of the youth in this region even after surrendering themselves to the authorities,” Changi said.

According to government statistics, 2,500 returnees have registered for the amnesty program with 1,500 of them being from Kwale County.

“We have been fighting violent extremism for a long time without tangible results as a result of poor planning yet the government gets funding from international partners,” added Mr. Changi.

He decried that the situation is getting worse with most parents complaining of missing children in the Coastal counties arguing that it is an urgent issue that requires urgent attention.

Written by James Gitonga