This archive report was first published on 13 January 2020.
January 13, 2020
For years, Mombasa's streets were plagued by gangs, but a Red Cross programme has helped thousands of young people leave their life of crime behind.
The Kenya Red Cross Society's programme, funded by the European Union, targets eight counties in Kenya where crime is rife, including Mombasa, Lamu, and Kilifi.
Abubakar Omar, a former drug addict, credits the programme with changing his life. He now works at a poultry farm run by former drug addicts, earning an honest living.
"It is hard to earn money but I'm happy because we earn it from our sweat now," Omar said.
Since its inception in 2016, the programme has helped around 5,000 young people across the country reinsert themselves into a life without crime.
"We target young people with low levels of education. We train them and then we help them with a business development plan," explained Mohammed Rajab Said, the Mombasa county coordinator for the Kenya Red Cross.
Twenty-six-year-old Suud Abdallah, a former member of the Mawayo gang, has also turned his life around. He aspires to open a hardware store in one of Mombasa's toughest neighbourhoods.
"But, some people still treat us as if we were thieves. I wasted a good part of my life. But life goes on and I don't want to be a bad example for the next generation," Abdallah added.
According to Johnstone Ipara, Mombasa county police commander, gangs such as Mtopanga, Congo Boys, or the notorious Wakali Wa Kwanza, appear to have disappeared.
