The national government has been urged to initiate a guaranteed insurance scheme to shield victims of terror and their families.
Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia on Monday said at least 900 people have been killed and about 6,000 maimed in terror attacks.
The insurance, he said, would cushion the victims, most of whom are poor, from becoming dependent on family members or their children joining terror groups.
“This nation can work out a guaranteed insurance scheme where victims of terror attacks are not left to become dependent or their children desperate," he said.
Kimemia spoke at Royal Garden Hotel in Ol Kalou, where he opened a three-day consultative forum on developing Nyandarua’s action plan to prevent and counter violent extremism.
He cited the 2014 attack in Mpeketoni, Lamu county, where 60 people died, the 2015 Garissa University attack, where 148 people were killed and the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in which more than 200 people were killed.
Other attacks are the 2013 Westgate siege where 71 people died and Dusit attack in January that killed 21.
Kimemia said many Kenyans have been maimed and property destroyed in terror attacks.
To deal with terror and violent extremism, Kimemia said, economic empowerment will be a major intervention to ensure the youth who form the bulk of the population are engaged in productivity.
He said if young people are organised into economic groups and provided with tools and equipment for self-employment, recruits into terror groups would be minimised.
The county chief said a mentorship programme should be put in place where Kenyan children are followed from early childhood education to university and beyond.
Further, he said, women should be actively involved in dealing with violent extremism and terrorism as they gather useful intelligence given their closeness to their children.
Kimemia said most young people confide in their mothers, who are approachable and available, as fathers are lost in other things, among them alcohol.
“Women are very good at gathering intelligence and can do a lot in terms of gathering information to counter terrorism. But we also need to bring our men back to society to counsel the youth," he said
The county boss said men and women must be empowered to reduce poverty.
Nyandarua county commissioner Boaz Cherutich said the plan is a national strategy to deal with terrorism. The county's action plan, he said, will ensure Nyandarua does not lag behind.
“We want to come up with proposals that will be funded by the county government and other donors for us to carry out programmes targeting mostly the youth," he said.
National Counter Terrorism Centre director Njenga Miiiri said county action plans are necessary because terrorism is dynamic and keeps evolving.
“If this is adopted in every county, we are going to insulate our population against infiltration from terrorists," he said.
