OPINION: A call for collective responsibility in fighting youth crime in Mombasa

Over the weekend, political and religious leaders in Mombasa converged to celebrate Eid Baraza, an event marked after Eid-ul-Fitr.

Eid-ul-Fitr is the celebration by Muslims after the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The event brings together leaders and residents (majority Muslim) to celebrate their unity and coexistence.

Some speeches are usually delivered in public because politicians are present.

In this year’s event, the leader's statements were directed towards parental responsibility.

The vast majority of the leaders who were allowed to speak took the time to urge parents to assume parental responsibilities for raising their children, who are accused of not fulfilling their responsibilities and, as a result, joining criminal organisations and abusing drugs.

The leaders discussed what should happen to these young people and their parents if they commit any crimes. They also suggested that parents should be arrested along with their children once a crime is committed.

These sentiments resulted from the criminal gangs that have become a nuisance. The criminal youth operate while some of their parents know of their activities.

This is an issue that affects the youth of Mombasa. I was once involved in studies into why young people in Mombasa joined criminal gangs, and in addition to unemployment, the subject of parental neglect arose.

The main issue with parental neglect is that a majority of families are being raised by single parents, mainly women. Women have been left to raise children alone and it is a responsibility they cannot manage on their own.

While I applaud some of the leaders' rigorous steps to combat crime in Mombasa, I want us to acknowledge that it is the community at large, not just the parents, that has failed to take responsibility for ensuring these youth are dealt with.

I was recently on an assignment that made me visit a place called Si Watu which is in Nyali Sub County but closely borders Kisauni Constituency. The nature of my assignment made me meet some members of the community and upon engagement, we ended up discussing everything, including the subject of insecurity.

In the middle of our conversation, a member of the group I was talking to, proudly said that at Si Watu, they don't have any criminal youth who operate within the area. This is because the residents of the community took it upon themselves to deal with any youth who would dare to terrorise the residents.

The people of Si Watu should serve as an example to both our leaders and the residents of Mombasa. Parents, leaders, and the community at large need to raise and be hard on the youth so they do not carry out criminal activities or join juvenile gangs.

The community knows these youth as well as they are known by their parents or maybe even better than their parents.

Leaders must prioritise issues affecting our community and treat them as everyday business until they are resolved.

We need to take a coordinated approach to problem-solving. This action could include working closely with police officers and other security partners to ensure that the youth participating in criminal activities are apprehended and held accountable.

If you are not going to properly serve our community, whom will you lead? Things will work out if you take the initiative and give it your all.

The writer is a Mombasa-based communication and marketing expert.

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