Margaret on Friday said recent incidents of general insecurity and killings in the northeastern Mandera county were disheartening, but expressed hope that the battle against insecurity would be won through concerted efforts.
Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants have killed more than 60 people in the past 12 months in Mandera county, mostly non-local teachers and quarry workers who were working in the restive region.
Al-Shabaab agents have been carrying out recruitment in Kenya’s coastal region for its war inside Somalia because of the presence of radicalized youth, infuriated by the government’s plan of eliminating radical preachers from mosques in the region and the arrest of hundreds of young militant returnees.
Analysts say the Somali militants mostly capitalized on the local discontent with the government to recruit members who are further radicalized.
The First Lady who addressed the function that was also attended by local political and religious leaders, said radicalization of the youth is a legitimate and significant concern among all peace-loving Kenyans.
“While the incidents that happened in Mandera are heartbreaking to say the least, we must win this battle, and it can only be done by intensifying efforts to guarantee security in the region; to escalate access to health care and education; to build and improve infrastructure,” she said.
Margaret singled out women and children in Mandera as the most vulnerable groups to socio-cultural inequities that exclude them from political representation, legal protection, educational opportunities and reproductive choice.
The First Lady was accompanied by 20 international agencies including 15 from the UN, the World Bank and three embassies during the ceremony.
The Beyond Zero Campaign being spearheaded by Margaret seeks ways of reducing maternal and child mortality in the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
