Somalia war: Kenya on the spot over secret enlisting

Tension gripped Garissa Town on Wednesday following claims that hundreds of youths were being recruited secretly to fight in Somalia.

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But before joining the army of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the youths, it was further claimed, were first being taken for military training at Manyani Paramilitary Camp in Mombasa.

A group of parents who alleged that their sons had already been recruited, raised the alarm. They said that more than 300 youths aged between 18 and 30 years had secretly been recruited in six locations of Garissa District.

Ongoing relocation

However, North Eastern provincial commissioner James ole Serian dismissed the claims as rumours. “I heard the rumours. I think this came about due to the ongoing relocation of Somali refugees, who are mainly youths, to Kakuma. Nevertheless, we shall investigate the matter,” the PC said.

Claims about the recruitment of Kenyan youths to fight in Somalia come a few days after the United States Government said that unemployed Somali youths were targeted for recruitment by the Al-Shabaab militia group.

The Al-Shabaab, alongside other militia groups, has been fighting to oust the fragile Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, which is supported by the US and other Western powers. Garissa mayor Mohamed Gabow said he had personally witnessed the recruitment.

Monthly salary

“It has been going on. The boys who have been recruited have talked to us. They say they have been promised a $600 (Sh44,000) monthly salary,” Mr Gabow told the Nation by telephone. He claimed that those carrying out the recruitment were senior military officers, adding that the hiring was done in the cover of darkness. 

“There are several National Youth Service and military trucks which ferry the recruits,” the mayor said. He alleged that the recruitment had been carried out in Medina, Masalani, Riig, Adan and Iftin villages — all in Garissa Town.

The civic leader noted that the last batch of 95 recruits was confined at Bula Shabah, at the outskirts of Garissa Town, before being ferried to Manyani. But the Department of Defence (DoD) denied any involvement in the recruitment of youth to fight in Somalia.

On Wednesday in Nairobi, DoD said it had information that Somali militia groups had been engaging in massive recruitment of fighters within refugee camps in the country.

Intelligence reports

DoD spokesman Bogita Ongeri said that they had received intelligence reports that Al-Shabaab and other militia groups fighting in Somalia had been conducting recruitment in the country.

“We are not involved in any such recruitment and training of youth to go and fight in Somalia. That is absolute propaganda. Why would we do that? We, however, have information that Al Shabaab, the Transitional Federal Government and other militia groups fighting in Somalia have been recruiting youth from refugee camps to go back and fight secretly.