For five years nobody in Ngecha village knew about the whereabouts of Njoro including his close friends since childhood. Njoro’s parents whenever asked of their son by friends they seemed not to understand what exactly their son does, all they could tell people is that Njoro works in Mombasa and could visit them once a year since he started his job. It was clear that even the parents had no idea of the nature of work their son was doing in Mombasa based on their constant responses to friends who wanted to know about their friend.
Njoro’s parents on receiving the news were in utter confusion and worried for they never knew what activities the son had been undertaking whenever he told them he was going to Mombasa for work.
Years came and went as Njoro continued with the trend of visiting his Ngecha home once every year and his friends could no longer be bothered about him since he too never seemed to be interested in looking for his former pals during his rare visits. This went on until one day when news about him with his photos attached were circulating on various social media platforms as he had been marked by the authorities as an Al Shabaab member and was part of a team that was planning to conduct an attack in Kenya’s North Eastern Region. The news bore his name as Abdi Rahman Hasan but of course, his photos betrayed him to them that knew him.
The information on Njoro being a wanted Al Shabaab suspect reached many youths in his home who later informed his parents who were not well conversant with social media operations.
Njoro’s parents on receiving the news were in utter confusion and worried for they never knew what activities their son had been undertaking whenever he told them he was going to Mombasa for work. The mother’s eyes were filled with tears and all she prayed for was to have his son back at home immediately even though there was nothing much she could do as Njoro only contacted them on rare occasions with different phone numbers.
As we are talking, friends and parents are happy as Njoro managed to join his family amid the shocking news of him being an Al Shabaab member. He surrendered to the authorities as a returnee and he has been undergoing rehabilitation in a rehab centre in Nairobi.
Njoro’s story has served as a lesson to many youths in his home area and those that have heard of his story in neighbouring communities. Many have realized the importance of chatting with friends whenever one is pressed down with issues, that appear difficult to tackle. His experience has made him open to his parents as well as friends and everyone has understood that Njoro felt pressured to look for quick money as he was finding it hard to get a job and never wanted to continue bothering his struggling parents whenever he needed something for himself.
Amid the many economic challenges that have led to youths falling into drug addiction, criminal gangs, terrorism and early unplanned marriages, hope can only be drawn from each other. Being a brother’s keeper, engaging in positive vibes and sharing ideas on how to make a living without having to harm one’s moral values is the only way out. Majority youth fear sharing their challenges with friends who can help them not knowing that the friend may be undergoing tough times as well and together they can think through issues and start discussing business ideas that can end up changing their lives.