Kenyan youth who intend to join terror outfits and more so the al Shabaab militia group must know that they are only courting death.
Counter-terrorism experts who have been studying the militia group and its recruitment and deployment patterns over the last few years have opined so.
While the ragtag militia has tried to showcase itself as an international terror outfit, in efforts to mimic other terror groups like ISIS, apparently, its efforts are all but a show to attract foreign fighters into its ranks, for one purpose- death squads.
Insider accounts reveal that all is not well within the rank and file of the al Shabaab as foreign fighters, fight for space with local Somali fighters, who apparently have a higher standing due to their ethnic background.
And given their disdain for Kenyans, the efforts to lure them into the group are but a ruse.
It is said that the attractive packages offered to entice Kenyan youth into joining the terror outfit are just but a fallacy.
The place has become hell on earth for these radicalized young men.
Kenyan returnees have shared stories of how the al – Shabaab leadership loathes Kenyans and has always treated them as second-class jihadists who never enjoy the privileges extended to the Somali militias.
One insider account has revealed that Kenyans who joined the terror group are having it rough back in Somalia as they are being targeted to be the front liners on the battlefield whenever there is an assault.
Others have been assigned the suicide bombing role, and to be carrying out Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) attacks.
This is done, ostensibly to ensure they die as they carry out the mission, unlike their Somali counterparts who carry out light duties with less risk.
In January 2023, there were reports of a blast outside the mayor’s office in Mogadishu which was carried out by a suicide bomber.
Investigations into the blast revealed the identity of the suicide bomber was Mohamed Abdimajid Abdi, a Kenyan from Majengo Nyeri.
Abdimajid had joined the terror group after having been duped into believing that he would be paid handsomely and his family would be well taken care of back in Kenya.
He later found out that he had been lied to and tried to escape back to Kenya but was betrayed by the Somali militants who informed the leadership of his intention.
As a punishment, Abdimajid was pigeonholed into the suicide bomber squad.
Many other Kenyans among them Ramadhan Mbwana Mbega from Kwale and Abdi Ibrahim aka Somo from Nyeri, who is the uncle to Majid and is suspected to have recruited him, also fell victim to such brutality by virtue of not being originally from Somalia.
Recent reports from within al Shabaab have intimated that another Kenyan desperately wants to return back home owing to tribal segregation and mistreatment he is receiving at the hands of the militia’s top brass.
The suspect who hails from Nyeri has also expressed fears that he is being targeted for a suicide bomb mission just like Abdimajid.
He plans to process travel documents once in Kenya and escape to Saudi Arabia to join his sister who does menial jobs in Saudi Arabia.
Usually, Kenyans who are suspected to have regrets about having joined the terror group are viewed as threats and spies among the fighters.
Such are branded traitors, and being unwanted, have zero chance of survival.
They are paraded and executed in public to instil fear in other Kenyan recruits, thus making them more willing to follow orders without question.
However, all is not lost for those who want to return back home.
Would-be returnees can take advantage of existing government amnesty programs to shed off the heinous and murderous lifestyle and begin a fresh start back home.
The government, through the amnesty programme, is committed to rehabilitating and integrating those willing to return as well as protecting those who have surrendered.
Since its inception, official figures show that more than 300 returnees who have denounced the terrorism ideology have benefitted from the programme.
Meanwhile, news from across Somalia indicates that the once-famed guerilla group is counting losses and losing momentum as it continues to experience bombardment and military onslaught both from the SNA and the ATMIS forces.
The continuous training of the Somali National Army (SNA) has strengthened its military capabilities, enabling it to take the war on terror to the militant’s doorstep.
Al - Shabaab has continued to lose grip on most of its operating base and has continued to suffer massive casualties at the hands of SNA as well as loss of equipment and financial capabilities.
Its biggest loss, however, appears to be community goodwill, as locals weary of the militia’s never-ending warfare and the irreparable harm to their livelihoods over insatiable greed for political power, are increasingly becoming hostile to them.
They realize they have been dragged into a war that does not benefit them but rather destroys their lives and futures.
Unfortunately, the loss of lives is all too evident for Kenyans who are duped into joining the ranks of the militia group; they become pawns in a deadly game which benefits only the master puppeteers, the al Shabaab political figureheads.
Indeed, experts warn that Kenyans who insist on crossing over to Somalia should know that the moment they leave; they automatically sign their death certificate.
John Mbaya works with one of the private security agencies in the region and is a trained expert in terrorism