By: Abdihakim Siyad
“Canada was my dream. But I never made it not because I didn’t want it, but because I no longer had the strength to believe in myself.”
This is the voice of a young woman who spoke to Frontier Online under anonymity her voice trembling, but her story crystal clear. She is one of many who’ve been caught between systems, borders, and broken promises.
She never made it to her intended destination: Canada. Instead, she was detained in Amsterdam during transit silenced, isolated, and emotionally crushed. Diagnosed with ADHD, she spiraled into burnout as her flight to hope slipped away due to weather delays and system failures.
But her story painful as it is is just one of many. Across North Eastern Kenya, an even darker reality unfolds. And unlike her, most of these young people don’t get to speak.
The Tahrib Trap: From Wajir, Mandera, Garissa to Libya’s Torture Houses
In the sun-scorched villages of Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera, youth are vanishing. Promised jobs, education, or safe passage to Europe by faceless agents on WhatsApp and Facebook, they fall victim to one of the cruelest forms of modern slavery human trafficking via Libya.
Just this week, Frontier Online reviewed multiple videos circulating on social media. In one, a 21-year-old Form Three student from Wajir High School cries as he’s flogged by traffickers, begging his family to send ransom money. In another, two boys from Wajir County are beaten mercilessly by Magafe captors demanding money or threatening death.
One didn’t survive. A 19-year-old’s life was cut short when his family, already living in poverty, could not raise the demanded amount. His death has sent shockwaves through the region.
Testimony from a Survivor: “Libya Was a Trap”
“We left Kenya in February 2023, full of dreams. The agents said Belgium was only a month away. We never imagined Libya would be our prison.”
Mohamed,18 year old escaped captivity and returned to Kenya, forever changed. He and his friends traveled overland through Ethiopia and Sudan, only to be locked in Libya with hundreds of other African migrants. Beatings were routine. Food was scarce. Ransom videos were recorded and sent to families.
“It was never migration. It was trafficking. It was hell.”
The issue reached national spotlight when Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen appeared before the National Assembly Security Committee Responding to an urgent query by Tarbaj MP Hussein Barre, the CS confirmed:
Dozens of young people from Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa have disappeared, only to be later discovered in Libyan detention camps.
Some were rescued in Ethiopia en route to Libya, including a girl from Mandera lured by a Facebook contact with promises of reaching Germany.
Investigations are ongoing into human trafficking rings, including suspected recruitment agencies and money transfer links.
One family in Wajir reportedly paid over KSh 2.3 million in ransom through Eastleigh-based remittance channels, indicating the vast reach of this underground network.
“These are not isolated disappearances,” Murkomen said. “This is organized, cross-border human trafficking targeting our most vulnerable youth.”
Corpses in the Desert: The Final Destination for Too Many
In a chilling development, rescue teams in North Africa recently discovered tens of bodies in the Sahara Desert, suspected to be migrants who died en route to Libya. Photos seen by Frontier Online show the skeletal remains of the dreams of Africa’s youth abandoned under the scorching sun.
A Regional Call to Action: “We Are Losing Our Children”
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, during this year’s Eid celebrations, condemned the crisis:
“This trafficking menace is rampant. Parents must know their children’s whereabouts. We are losing an entire generation to lies and exploitation.”
Local leaders and human rights activists are now demanding long-term preventive measures not just investigations.
A Way Out: Football, Mentorship, and Purpose
Experts argue that offering viable alternatives at home is key. Football academies, mentorship programs, and vocational skills centers in ASAL regions could give youth identity, purpose, and hope without risking deadly journeys abroad.“Build dreams here, not in Libya,” one youth advocate told Frontier Online. “A ball and a goalpost can save a life.”
To the Youth: “Tahriib is Not the Way”
In the girl’s story of detention in Amsterdam, and Mohamed’s tale of survival in Libya, a common message echoes: “You can always start again but choose the right path. Tahriib is not it.”This is more than a migration issue. It’s a national crisis, a moral collapse, and an urgent call for justice.The traffickers are known. The victims are visible. The question is: Will the nation act or continue to bury its youth in silence and sand?
