PH
The government has expressed fear that missing students from Isiolo County could have joined Al Shabaab terror group.
Isiolo County Commissioner George Natembeya, said 27 students have disappeared from schools.
He said 20 are from secondary schools within the county while the rest are university students.
Natembeya said only two people have surrendered to authorities after returning from Somalia.
He added that the two who surrendered following a government amnesty were being closely monitored by the county security team and usually report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices.
He accused some parents of collaborating with Al-Shabaab recruiters in the region for monetary gains.
Natembeya noted that there was a possibility that some parents and guardians were aware of plans by their children or relatives to cross over to Somalia for radical teachings but do not report it to authorities.
He observed that the recruiters are targeting idle youth who are jobless with promises of good life after joining the group.
Natembeya urged schools in the county to be more vigilant as he cautioned that police had intensified their crackdown on Al-Shabaab recruiters and sympathizers in the region
