Garissa Senator Abdul Haji is alarmed by the rising number of young people from Northern Kenya taking the perilous journey across the Sahara Desert to Europe.

The phenomenon locally referred to as “Tahriib” often begins in East Africa and snakes through Sudan into Libya, where migrants are vulnerable to kidnappings, trafficking, and extortion by armed groups.

Speaking in Balambala, Senator Haji said the practice has devastated families and communities.

He said the vice has left many parents left in anguish as their children disappear into the dangerous migration routes.

“A lot of our children are suffering in the deserts of Libya,” the senator warned.

The journey has become a deadly trap run by human traffickers and smugglers. Poverty, unemployment, and lack of opportunities fuel the desperation driving Tahriib.

“They are held in camps by human smugglers, tortured, and forced to call their families to beg for ransom,” he told residents.

He said families are then burdened to raise exorbitant amounts of money to secure their release.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has repeatedly raised concerns over the abuse of African migrants in Libyan detention centers, including reports of slavery-like conditions.

Senator Haji called for urgent intervention to curb factors fanning the desperation of the youth that drive them into the deadly migration routes.

He said Kenya is facing a silent crisis as hundreds of young people, especially from Northern Kenya, risk their lives in the dangerous migration known as tahriib.

“This is a national crisis. We must create pathways of hope at home so that our youth are not lured by false promises abroad,” he said.

The senator urged both the county and national governments to expand investment in education, skills training, and job creation in Northern Kenya.

He also called on religious leaders and community elders to raise awareness about the dangers of “Tahriib.”

Families across the region continue to grapple with financial strain as smugglers demand ransoms running into hundreds of thousands of dollars, often forcing them to sell land and livestock.

For many, however, the payments offer no guarantee of safety, with some migrants reportedly dying along the desert routes while others perished at sea while attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

Kenya is both a source and transit country for human trafficking. While traffickers lure victims with promises of jobs abroad, many end up in slavery-like conditions, forced labor, or sexual exploitation.