We are reformed criminals and we are not turning back

Salim Andrew, 28, a member Grogon B Reformers Youth Group, counts himself lucky to be alive.

“At the age of 16, I was already mugging pedestrians in Nairobi,” he says. “In November 2012, I lost my mother. I was in Form Three. When mother died, my uncles wanted me to go and live in our rural home, but I didn’t want to since I had become accustomed city life.

LYNCHED

“In 2013, I moved from Korogocho to Kiamaiko, where I rented a single room. I had a girlfriend. At night I would be a robber but during the day I would be well groomed, so no one could suspect me.

“One day at 5am I was called by some people from Korogocho.  They told me that an angry mob had beaten one of my friends, Kamau, senseless, after a robbery in the neighbourhood. I rushed there and found Kamau lying in a pool of blood.

“Kamau, who had been dragged from bed, was wearing shorts and a vest. His head had been smashed. I touched his body but got no response from him. I broke down in tears. I stayed with him until he breathed his last. Kamau was a member of a gang I once belonged to.

“Still, I did not learn. I continued mugging and robbing people. In 2014, another friend of mine was killed in similar fashion at about five in the morning. His head was smashed with a hammer. That frightened me, but I was still undeterred.

“A few weeks later, a close friend called me for a ‘job’ in Kakamega County. However, I refused, for no particular reason. 

“Four days later, they had not returned as expected. His sister called and told me that my friend and his three accomplices were all beaten to death by an angry mob and their bodies burnt.

LIFE IN CRIME

“This friend left behind a young wife and a small baby. At the burial, I did not utter a word. Though his death stunned me, I was not done with stealing yet.

“Then in late 2014, my five colleagues and I mugged a man in Kasarani. He went straight to the nearby Ngomongo Police Station to report the crime. When we saw him coming back, we dashed into a farm by the road. My five colleagues managed to cross a nearby swollen stream but I could not.

“I ran into the stream, and the people chasing us thought I had drowned. Later, I managed to cross to the other side, after most of the people had left. That is how I survived.

“But even as I continued robbing people, I always felt that death was not far away.  For me to change, I had to completely detach myself from the friends I had. Unfortunately, I have lost almost all of them. I am a living testimony that crime only destroys one’s potential and wastes their youth, and if not lucky, their entire life.”

Andrew and a group of young former criminals got together and formed Grogon B Reformers Youth Group to help youth in their neighbourhood avoid the allure of easy money presented by crime.

TURNAROUND

Formed in April 2015, Grogon B Reformers Youth Group brings together youths who have ditched crime to earn an honest living.

“We have risen from the dark depths where crime had dumped us. We are happy to have bounced back together for a worthy cause. This group is our future,” observes Joseph Kimemia, aged 26.

The group is among the 10 entrepreneurship groups in Ruaraka Constituency, which are part of the Youth Economic Development Programme by the Youth Congress – a non-profit body that campaigns for the inclusivity of marginalised youth in socio-economic development.

The 28 members are aged between 22 and 31 and know each other, since they grew up in Grogon B, Korogocho.

“In 2015 we started a merry-go-round so that we could meet regularly and encourage each other not to go back to crime,” offers Stephen Memba, 27.

They identified an abandoned ablution block that had been built by the National Youth Service (NYS) and cleaned it so that they could use it for their meetings.

NEW LIFE

In 2016, the group, through their member of county assembly, approached the Nairobi County government to provide them with water. This enabled them to offer car wash services and clean motorbikes for a fee. The Youth Congress trained them on business management and bookkeeping for their car wash business.

Then, in 2017, the Youth Congress provided the group with a 10,000-litre water tank through a grant under the Youth Economic Development Programme, which is supported by the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF). They sell water at Sh5 per 20-litre jerrican. Members share duties, with two people manning the water vending kiosk and the car wash every day. Half of the daily sales go to the members on duty while the other half goes to the group savings.

“Every member goes home with not less than Sh700 twice a month and at the end of the month they each earn a dividend of Sh2,000 from the savings,” says Salim Andrew. Some members have invested their money in small businesses.

The group reaches out to teenagers who have dropped out of school. We encourage them to join us for mentorship,” says Patrick Kamau. The group loans the teens money to set up small businesses. They repay the loans in instalments.

“The police in Korogocho know us because of our turn-around and the work we are doing to ensure that vulnerable young people do not get into crime,” notes Kamau.