University students are becoming targets of Al Shabaab recruitment.
This is according to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) which is concerned that campus students are easily being lured to join the militat group.
The intelligence service reports that the Al Shabaab has now branched out to universities in other countries when recruiting students.
The NIS mentions several students who have gone and become high ranking officials in the militant group.
The head of video and propaganda within the Al Shabaab was identified as JKUA student while Ahmed Iman while Adbulrahaman Abdulahi, who was among the attackers of Garissa University was a student at University of Nairobi.
Following many such cases, the government has called on universities to be more vigilant in handling the students.
During a stakeholder’s consultative meeting on sustainable peace and security in universities that brought together the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and the universities’ management, leaders expressed concerns that the Al Shabaab was now focusing on the brightest university students.
Education CS Jacob Kaimenyi said that radicalization was the bigget problem in the schools.
He urged the school administration not to take lightly instances where students have gone missing.
Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery on his part warned that leaving students vulnerable to Al Shabaab recruitment and radicalization would be disastrous.
He added that the government is holding talks with the necessary stakeholders on how to bring into law the facilitation of arming private security officers who will be a supplement to the government security.
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