Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has urged the government and policymakers to confront unemployment and social exclusion as the lasting solution to rising insecurity, saying the growing cases of youth crime and "goonism" reflect deeper economic challenges that have left millions of Kenyans without meaningful opportunities.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Alai said the country cannot defeat crime by only responding after incidents occur, arguing that leaders must first address the conditions that push many young people into criminal activities.
"You know, the Kenyan population, give it or take 52 million people," Alai said. "Out of this 40, we have employed 18 million in the formal sector, 15 in the informal sector. Twenty-two million people are not anywhere. They are neither in the formal nor in the informal sector. How do they fend for themselves? How do they earn a living?"
He said the large number of people outside both the formal and informal economy should be a major concern for leaders, warning that the lack of jobs and opportunities continues to expose many young people to exploitation and crime.
Alai maintained that Kenya's leadership should shift its focus from dealing with the effects of insecurity to addressing the issues that create it in the first place.
"If you want to deal with the root cause of Kenyan problems, as leaders, we need to understand where we place everybody," he said.
The MCA linked the rise of what he described as "goonism" to gaps in social and economic inclusion, saying many young people remain disconnected from structured systems that could provide employment and stability.
"The goonism which we are seeing today is a result that we have not tried to at least formalise," he said.
He also called for stronger use of criminal intelligence, saying security agencies should prioritise preventing crime before it happens instead of reacting after offences have already been committed.
"It is very easy to handle crime when you put criminal intelligence before actual stoppage of crime," Alai said.
Alai further stressed the need to engage young people through social empowerment programmes, saying giving them responsibility and opportunities could help reduce violence and lawlessness.
Referring to a recent event he organised, he said involving young people in maintaining order had delivered positive results.
"I told them that you don't have to go trapping people along the way," he said. "Nothing went bad for the first time. Nobody hung on anybody's car, nobody was stoned."
His remarks come as the country continues to debate the growing challenge of youth unemployment and the emergence of organised gangs in different parts of the country.
Recent labour market estimates place Kenya's unemployment rate at about 5.4 per cent, although youth unemployment, underemployment and informal work continue to affect a large share of the population.
The remarks also come days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen warned politicians against recruiting and using groups of youths to disrupt political meetings and intimidate rivals, saying security agencies were intensifying efforts to eliminate what he described as widespread "goonism."
Speaking during a church fundraiser in Mt Elgon, Murkomen accused some political leaders of encouraging disorder for political interests and said authorities would take firm action against those found sponsoring such groups.
"In this church today we don't have goons, but we have some parts in Bungoma where goons beat up people and even push women and destabilise peace in those areas. I have authorised county security team to take action against politicians ferrying goons to meetings or events and using guns to threaten residents. We must end this menace of goons and we have put measures in place to curb such cases," Murkomen said.