The United States Government has awarded a Kenyan for putting up a spirited fight against terrorism in the North Eastern region.
24-year-old Asha Hassan was rewarded by the Department of State in Washington with the Emerging Young Leaders 2016 award, for her efforts in eliminating terror in Kenya.
The prestigious honour was presented by Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs Diplomacy Richard Stengel, who praised Asha for emerging among the top 10 nominees.
"Asha developed a youth-led unit spearheading dialogue and reconciliation among clans in Garissa, in a bid to mobilize Somali girls to be change agents in fight against terror. We commend her for her outstanding role," stated Stengel.
It is said that Asha was motivated to pursue the course after assisting her brother join Al Shabaab at an early age, only for it to emerge as one of the most brutal group in the region.
“I helped my brother join Al Shabaab after dropping out of school in class six and this is when I learnt the wrongs of the group and decided to dedicate my time to fighting terror,” she was quoted.
The American initiative was started recently with the aim of recognising young leaders around the world, who have been agents of positive change in dealing with challenges facing various countries.
In February, a teacher from Eastleigh High School in Nairobi was nominated for the Global Teachers Prize 2016 award in which he stood to reap Sh100 Million.
Ayub Mohamud, who was the only African finalist in the competition, was singled out for fighting radicalization and formulating new strategies for combating extremism, but lost in the finals.
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