Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has pledged to support youth programmes to reduce cases of radicalisation in the county.
“We have lost lives in terrorist raids when our young men venture out of the county in search of employment and those that return we are not sure they are not radicalised. I will support programmes that will uplift the lives of the youth in the country,” he said.
Last month police arrested three young men who were linked to a terrorist gang.
Mr Kahiga was speaking on Friday while launching a county internship programme.
The governor said they have set aside Sh24 million to pay stipends to the 200 interns hired by the county during the one-year programme.
They will be receiving Sh10, 000 monthly.
“The programme seeks to eradicate unemployment through provision of skills and experiences for fresh graduates so as to make them prepared to take up responsibilities in the competitive labour market,” the governor said.
The county received 1, 674 applications for the internship programme but only 200 qualified after 1,074 candidates were shortlisted and interviewed.