Turning the tide of crime among youths

A new initiative, founded by two youths, is helping fight and alleviate teenage crime in Kayole. The initiative dubbed 'HustleBilaCrime' started as a call to meet and pray for Nairobi youth and has grown into a force in fighting and preventing crime among young people in the city.

The two founders of the initiative, Juma Ndeta and Purity Munai, both born and bred in Kayole, started the initiative after getting tired of seeing young people in their neighbourhood and some of their close friends engaging and dying in crime.

"When we started this initiative late last year, at least three young people were dying daily from crime-related activities in Kayole alone," says Ndeta.

He is quick to add, "We decided to stand up for our generation and be the change in Nairobi neighbourhoods. We started out in Kayole commonly known as 1960 because it is a hotbed of teenage and youth crime."

The founders lament that society has stopped at just condemning and rebuking young people committing crimes, leaving them with no one to advise, guide or help them abandon or shun crime.

No mentors

"Young people lack mentors. Parents, religious leaders and society at large have all failed the youth. If all these support systems functioned effectively and moulded young people, then we would not even have issues of teenagers and young adults engaging in crime due to peer pressure and other lame reasons," Juma says, without batting an eye.

Purity says she has always had a passion to work with young people and issues affecting them. This passion was fired up more when she lost a close friend to crime just at the tender age of 16.

"He was a nice and humble young man who went to school with. I was close to him in school. Unfortunately, after school he started engaging in petty crime and got killed," a pensive Purity remembers.

HustleBilaCrime aims at sensitising and educating young people against crime and empowering them to engage in crime-free activities to earn decent livings.

Ndeta explains, "Our message to young people in Nairobi is that they can live responsible crime-free lives. They do not need crime to belong or get accepted in certain groupings. We are urging young people to 'hustle clean' because quick and easy money will send them to early graves."

The two founders, together with other supporters of the initiative visit schools, churches, youth groups and community-based organisations giving academic and social mentorship and preaching the initiative's message.

"We take mentorship to unfortunate children in little schools in the estates. These are schools that have no financial muscles to hire professional mentors and public speakers for their learners. We get invited to parents' days and teachers' forums to address issues of raising the 'digital child'," Ndeta explains.

Celebrate talents

He says that his public speaking skills come in handy. Ndeta was crowned the 2016 Shift Ambassador (EA), public speaking category. The initiative also holds events to celebrate talents and empower young people in Eastlands. These events include fun days in primary schools, where they hire equipment and directly employ young people during the events.

"During such days, we engage young people and train them on being clowns, face painters and minders among other activities. They get paid for it and are kept busy from engaging in crime or drugs," one of the founders says.

The initiative relies on donations from its members and well-wishers.  Munai confesses that sometimes they even sacrifice their little savings to help a reformed youth start a 'clean hustle'. On the other hand, Juma says they even approach different people to request them to hire their young people even on a wage basis.

"We have helped many start small businesses of selling eggs, tea, printing t-shirts among other 'clean hustles'. Our joy and satisfaction is seeing young people turn their lives and earning a living from crime-free activities," Purity says.

Social media

They also reach the young people through social media.

"We reach out to the youth on social media through groups like Kayole Kingdom and Dandora Love on Facebook," says Juma.

During the latest HustleBilaCrime event held last weekend at Kayole Social Hall, in attendance was Paul Serem, the Inspector of Administration Police in Kayole.

Inspector Serem commended the founders of the initiative and urged  young people to shun crime. The inspector blamed drugs, especially marijuana, as the main cause of young people engaging in crime.

"Most of the young people arrested or killed in botched criminal activities are always found in possession of bhang. Vijana wamewacha kunywa chai, maji na maziwa....wanakunywa tu drugs (The youth are indulging and wasting themselves in drugs)," said the inspector.

Carolly, an upcoming artist, says the group has created a platform for him to interact and showcase his art work.

Metropolitan@standardmedia.co.ke