Kenyan man giving a second chance to reformed criminals

“Not every beggar delights in begging just the same way not every criminal enjoys doing crime. Some just get caught in a bad situation and only do it for survival however, many we have condemned and stoned over the years but we can’t say that such methods solved the problem. Why not incorporate a new way of encouraging such persons to reform, for some of them just need to be heard and be given a different alternative way to survival,” says Rashid Fadhil Mohammed (Chinja), Founder of Kibra Youths United Against Crime.

Rashid, born and raised in Kibra, attributes the difficult economic situation at home and the influence of friends to be the main reason he got into crime. For him, family obligation prompted him to turn to unlawful means to help support his mother with the expenses at home. When the situation worsened he resulted in living in the streets to make way for his mother to cater to the needs of his other siblings with at least one less mouth to feed.

“Being young in such an environment we thought to ourselves that crime was an option we could exploit to make things easier,” he laments.

My turning point

However, his turning point came after losing 30 friends to crime as he began envisioning a future where youths could freely live a healthy lifestyle as the crime rate in the community decreased.
“l lost 30 close friends in just three years. We who survived thought luck was on our side, though it was devastating to have those many friends lose their lives without fulfilling their life’s purpose. My experience living on the streets as well made me understand the challenges those living there face. The two incidences are what prompted me to start the organization, for if I didn’t try to fix such problems in my community, who would.”

The organization has operated since 2017, having 17 volunteers and 4 full-time staff to help with its activities which include; sanitary pad distribution, guidance on identity card application, community cleanup, community dialogues and sensitization on matters of peace, and urging those involved in crimes to reform.

Hamdi Yusuf, the organization secretary attributes depression and community exclusion to the problems the youths face leading to them engaging in some form of crime.
“We encourage our volunteers to take something they are passionate about within the community. We do so to have the community accept them while allowing them to be of benefit to society. We want a community where people won’t suffer in silence which may lead them to commit social evil simply because no one was there for them. Our platform is also for them to air out their grievances and involve the community to help them as well,” explains Yusuf.

The mentorship program
“Our mentorship program goes in long way to help out the community in rehabilitating those already in crime as well as the young ones who have started showing signs of the same in terms of being aggressive or withdrawn from their parents and it becomes difficult for the guardian to handle them. We follow up with the parents who come to us for assistance. We call the youngsters and have a one-on-one conversation with them where we tell them the downside of crime and their behavior as well. We are extending it to the school and street where we take the same message. For the street one, I got to understand their struggles which I would say makes it somehow easy for me to reach out to them and get them to listen as my team members follow behind,” added Rashid.

Mohammed Ali Abdul is part of the beneficiary having reformed from doing crime through the organization’s intervention. He says he started living on the street while still young barely out of primary school. After the death of his mother, his father remarried, he sired another child and the father disappeared one day to an unknown location. They later heard that he had died at their rural home. Young Mohammed was left under the care of his stepmother who also deserted him some time on. The only option he was left with was to roam in the streets to try to survive.

“I was evicted when very young, it was so long ago I can’t even remember what year or age I was. That is how I found myself on the street and made friends who taught me how to survive their way. We used to snatch and mag people’s belongings and we used drugs. It wasn’t easy for each day we risked coming back one person less unfortunately caught and left to the mercy of the mob. The experience was scary and I used to fear I’ll be next but we were all just victims of different circumstances that led us there.” Says Abdul.

It was only a matter of time before what happened to his friends would happen to him as he feared. At that time Abdul was well acquainted with Rashid but had not yet made up his mind to join him. He recalls that for a whole year, Rashid made a tendency to pass by where he and his friends hung around engaging them in a conversation on how well they could transform their lives and get off the streets. This to Abdul meant freedom which he really wanted to explore but his friends would have seen him as a traitor and thus he continued with his ways until his last snatching went wrong.

“My last crime was a friend and I snatched someone’s phone and ran away with it. Unfortunately, we didn’t go far as he was caught and lynched on the spot. To save myself I had to make a run avoiding the crowd from Jamhuri to Karanja. I was running to the chief office only to be caught too and beaten mercilessly. The mob was well set to lynch me as well and that’s where I started shouting that I worked with Chinja,” added Abdul.

Fortunately for him, the name he uttered was well-known in the community. Rashid(Chinja) was called and he requested he be taken to the police station instead. Ali had by then fainted but at least escaped death and his release into his care later . Through the organization, he was able to get an Identification card and was linked to do other jobs to make a living.

These stories are not that different from a lot of the youths who are in crime and maybe are striving to get documentation. Having an identification card is very crucial in the country not only when getting employment but also on matters of national security. Without an identification card, there is a lot that can go wrong for one not being able to get access to national services, like healthcare or even the voting process.

That’s why the organization is working closely with local administrators to issue identification cards to them. They believe that they need to be identified, as it is the first step in reconciling them with the community and even their families to those who they could trace their roots. Most of them are happy to get that documentation and they are more open to engaging in productive activities instead of crime. So far in the 3years they have been in existence, they have helped more than 300 persons living on the streets get issued with their identification cards not forgetting the young mothers and ladies in the area as well.

Other projects include community cleanup where they collect plastic and sell it to be recycling company. The little money they have gotten has gone a long way to help some members open up small businesses. Lastly, they conduct community sensitization on peace. Despite their efforts they still face challenges; one problem is having no constant source of getting in resources. It is also difficult dealing with some of the people who at times can be aggressive. “We want to reach out to as many people as we can but we are not able to. It is not always easy to get people to buy into the idea and that leaves us to take up all the responsibilities. Even with the sanitary towels we get donations from different individuals and organizations which mostly have to reach a lot of the ladies,” added Yusuf.

Rashid still has a greater vision to expand the organization up to the international level. His extended project shortly would involve police officers who he says pass through a lot in the line of duty and need a platform where they can air out their issues and find a solution to them.

“I have always envisioned a day when I will be working closely with the government and authorities to secure employment for those who are already having their ID’s. Such opportunities would go a long way to help them learn more skills and earn a decent living beneficial not only to them but the country itself in reducing the crime rate. Although I haven’t gotten that opportunity yet am still hopeful that such a day will come. I aim to make one street kid to go overseas,” concludes Rashid.