Various stakeholders during the launch of the programme in Mandera./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Youth gather around school murals at Kamor Primary. They
have been crafted for long-term interaction and memory retention to anchor
safer decision-making and promote local aspirations./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
From left, CEC Youth Mohamed Ali, Nominated MCA Zeinab Mude,
and CEC Roads Amina Hassan join community members during the BORESHA VIJANA
Behaviour Change Campaign launch at Mandera Bus Park. The campaign calls for
safer choices and local opportunities for Mandera’s youth./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
A growing menace of human trafficking, violent extremism, and irregular migration among youth in Mandera County has prompted the launch of a new social behavioural change campaign by a cross-border resilience project.
The initiative aims to restore hope and promote investment in local opportunities for young people.
Concerns have risen over human trafficking networks that exploit vulnerable youth across the borderlands of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
These networks lure teenagers and school leavers with promises of lucrative jobs in the Middle East, Europe, and America, only for many to end up trafficked to Libya or Yemen.
Social media platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp have become recruitment grounds for young people grappling with unemployment and limited livelihood opportunities. Families often pay hefty ransoms to secure their release, while others never return home.
Against this backdrop, a new awareness campaign has been launched to help arrest the growing crisis.
The BORESHA VIJANA Social Behaviour Change Campaign is part of the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA-NABAD) project.
It is funded by the European Union with co-funding from Danida and implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with RACIDA, VOPA, and the Mandera Women for Peace and Development (MWFPD).
The campaign is being rolled out with the Mandera County Government’s Department of Gender, Youth and Social Services. Launched in Mandera Town, the three-month initiative targets youth aged 15 to 35, especially recent graduates and secondary school students at high risk of deceptive recruitment networks.
It uses murals, art projects, youth-led podcasts and influencer-driven social media content to counter migration myths, extremist narratives and promote alternatives such as smart agriculture, entrepreneurship, vocational skills and education.
Yussuf Mohamed Abdullahi, Chief of Party for BORESHA-NABAD, said the initiative seeks to dissuade youth from irregular migration, radicalisation and drug abuse. He said the campaign highlights local opportunities and youth-run success stories.
Yussuf said the programme leverages SBCC tools including billboards, school murals, social media campaigns and a youth-led digital platform to promote positive livelihoods. “This initiative also focuses on promoting opportunities and investments in agriculture, entrepreneurship, and enrollment in market-driven and demand courses, such as graphic design, forex trading, faceless content creation, and other TVET courses, as pathways to empowerment,” he said.
Local influencers and youth groups are helping spark conversations online and in communities. “We are shifting from awareness creation to action and linking youth with livelihood interventions. This campaign uses creativity, storytelling and local solutions to encourage youth that opportunity exists right here at home,” Yussuf said.
Mandera County Executive for Gender, Youth and Social Services, Mohamed Ali Omar, said the campaign marks a critical turning point. “Human trafficking is both a security and socio-economic crisis. We must respond with both law enforcement and social innovation. Campaigns like BORESHA VIJANA are helping us do that,” he said.
“We are reclaiming our youth’s future from the grip of despair. This campaign is not just about stopping migration, but through it, we seek to restore hope and pride in Mandera’s potential,” he added.
Youth influencers are also leading storytelling and mentorship efforts. “We grew up hearing that success is abroad, not here. Now we are documenting real stories of success in Mandera. If others are thriving here, so can we,” said Ali Hassan.
Although launched as a pilot in Mandera County, the campaign targets youth across the Mandera Triangle where Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia meet—areas facing similar challenges tied to migration, unemployment and insecurity.
Local authorities say Mandera remains one of the counties most affected by trafficking and radicalisation, driven by economic hardship and porous borders. Implementers hope the campaign will shift perceptions and attract sustained investment in youth development across Kenya’s borderlands.
