Police in Mombasa and Kwale have hatched a new scheme to combat the growing cases of insecurity in the coastal strip.
For some time now, the region has been a haven of criminal activities including armed youth gangs.
It has also acted as a hotspot for recruitment of youths into the Somali-based Al Shabaab terror group.
But security officers are now seeking to use reformed gang members and Al Shabaab militants to lead advocacy against extremism and terror activities.
Mombasa County Commissioner Evans Achoki said that the group will help to calm the region, specifically his county of Mombasa.
"We are targeting the returnees. We are looking for them so that they can champion the process and sensitise other youth in the county," the police boss told the Wednesday Standard.
This comes at a time when the government has offered amnesty to youths allied to the group to ditch it and help the nation secure her citizens.
A new campaign to realise the same is set for February 26, after a group of about 300 reformed criminals attended a meeting in Likoni, Mombasa last week.
The group was given fishing gear and cash tokens to enable them sustain themselves going forward, in a campaign co-facilitated by the European Union and Kenya Red Cross.
This comes only one month after Al Shabaab Staged an attack on Nairobi's DusitD2 complex which left 21 innocent civilians dead.