`Factors influencing radicalization among Youth in Urban settlements in Mathare Sub-County, Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

Radicalization is globally associated with youth mainly Muslim males, who get lured into acts of terrorism and extreme violence. The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing radicalization among youth in urban settlements, using Mathare Sub-county in Nairobi County as the study location. The study‟s objectives were to examine the degree to which socio-economic factors influence radicalization, to determine the political factors influencing the radicalization, and to investigate the influence of religious identity in the process. The study adopted a correlational research design, with the researcher targeting 191 youths in Mathare sub-county of Nairobi County. Data collection was done by use of a structured questionnaire and a Key Informant Interview (KII) tool. Demographic characteristics were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The study‟s objectives were examined through quantitative analysis using regression, and the results presented using tables and figures, while narrations were used to present findings from qualitative data. Findings showed that most of the youth interviewed had not subscribed to any radicalization agenda, but knew some who had been approached or fully radicalized. Socioeconomic as well as political factors, alongside religious identity, were found to be statistically significant forecasters of radicalization. The study recommends that concerned government agencies should come up with ways of safeguarding urban youth from radicalization by empowering them socio-economically, the youth need to keep themselves productively occupied to overcome peer pressure that and idleness that could lead to radicalization, and that religious leaders who lure youth into radicalization using religion should be monitored closely by the government. It recommended further studies using sample populations from more urban settlements, and for the studies to probe other factors apart from those covered by the current study in order to better understand the causes of youth radicalization.