By Bosire Boniface in Nairobi
March 28, 2013
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Muddied and dragging a hoe, former gang member Samuel Irungu, 20,
came to the sprawling Mathare neighbourhood market in Nairobi to
collect.
He was not there to collect money for illicit transactions or
intimidation, but to be paid for his early morning delivery of three
sacks of kale and spinach, part of his new life away from violent crime.
Irungu used to belong to one of the most feared gangs in Nairobi's Mathare, Huruma and Eastleigh neighbourhoods, but now he ekes out a legitimate living for himself and his family through urban farming.
By his own account and those of his neighbours, Irungu committed home break-ins, muggings and other acts of violent crime with his gang until October 2010. At that time, police intervened when a mob tried to lynch Irungu and other gang members for stealing a motorcycle from in front of a general store. Irungu survived the mob, but spent one year in jail.
Months later, during a gang reunion at a construction site, one of the gang members suggested that instead of crime, they should cultivate idle government lands in the neighbourhood.
"We raised money among ourselves and some neighbours chipped in with material and financial help," Irungu told Sabahi.
"In a month, the farm can earn me more than 50,000 shillings ($590) after expenses," Irungu said.
Muiruri Wangethi, 20, another gang member-turned-farmer, also received a one-year prison sentence for stealing a bicycle in 2011, but through a government programme to ease crowding in prisons, he was put on probation after serving two months.
"We are now able to provide for our families through honest means," he told Sabahi. "We deeply regret our past spent on criminal activities, and we will continue striving to recover for the lost time."
Reformed criminals from rival gangs have followed the same path by forming farming co-ops along rivers and streams throughout the Kenyan capital, he said.
The co-ops grow passion fruit, peppers, sugar cane, onions, tomatoes, maize, beans, arrow root, sweet and white potatoes, cassava, cauliflower and greens, which they sell in markets around Nairobi.
Antony Macharia, 33, a reformed criminal who turned to co-op farming through membership with the Mathare Ghetto Farmers Group, said the reformed youths are also helping with community policing.
"Our indelible pasts make us the first suspects whenever a crime is committed in the neighbourhoods," he told Sabahi. "We have taken it upon ourselves to ensure that crime is low."
His group of eight occasionally holds town hall meetings to caution youths against following in their criminal footsteps. They also work with the community and encourage those involved in crime to give up that illicit lifestyle, he said.
The land that the youths are farming has been set aside for other uses, but the government is temporarily allowing this agricultural use to help former convicts lead productive and stable lives, he said.
"To stamp out criminals and criminal activities, we encourage people to get involved in any [lawful] income-generating ventures, and farming is one of them," he told Sabahi.
The trend is spreading in the neighbourhoods of Kayole, Njiru, Ruai, Mihang'o, Dandora and Korogocho, he said.
Upon the request of the various co-ops, government agricultural officers occasionally visit the farms to teach the young farmers skills and techniques for improving crop yields, Omoke said.
Jecinta Awino, a 42-year-old grocer in Mathare, said it took time, but local residents now realise that the former gang members have truly reformed themselves.
"There is a demand for food and if one can get fresh produce directly from nearby it is cheaper because there is no transportation cost involved," she said.
Peter Ongori, 35, a resident of the Kayole neighbourhood, said their services are proving invaluable. "They are still most wanted, not for their criminal past, but for their fresh produce," he said.
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![Samuel Irungu and Muiruri Wangethi survey their cabbage and maize farm in Nairobi's Kiambiu neighbourhood. Scores of youths in Nairobi neighbourhoods have abandoned criminal activities and ventured into urban farming. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]](http://sabahionline.com/shared/images/2013/03/28/kenya-farm-gangs-340_227.jpg)
Samuel Irungu and Muiruri Wangethi survey their cabbage and maize
farm in Nairobi's Kiambiu neighbourhood. Scores of youths in Nairobi
neighbourhoods have abandoned criminal activities and ventured into
urban farming. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]
![Samuel Irungu and Muiruri Wangethi survey their cabbage and maize farm in Nairobi's Kiambiu neighbourhood. Scores of youths in Nairobi neighbourhoods have abandoned criminal activities and ventured into urban farming. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]](http://sabahionline.com/shared/images/2013/03/28/kenya-farm-gangs.jpg)
Irungu used to belong to one of the most feared gangs in Nairobi's Mathare, Huruma and Eastleigh neighbourhoods, but now he ekes out a legitimate living for himself and his family through urban farming.
By his own account and those of his neighbours, Irungu committed home break-ins, muggings and other acts of violent crime with his gang until October 2010. At that time, police intervened when a mob tried to lynch Irungu and other gang members for stealing a motorcycle from in front of a general store. Irungu survived the mob, but spent one year in jail.
Months later, during a gang reunion at a construction site, one of the gang members suggested that instead of crime, they should cultivate idle government lands in the neighbourhood.
"We raised money among ourselves and some neighbours chipped in with material and financial help," Irungu told Sabahi.
From violence to vegetables
Last year, Irungu and fellow former gang members founded the Mathare Youth Farmers Group, one of several informal farming co-operatives that cultivate fruit and vegetable crops in the slums."In a month, the farm can earn me more than 50,000 shillings ($590) after expenses," Irungu said.
Muiruri Wangethi, 20, another gang member-turned-farmer, also received a one-year prison sentence for stealing a bicycle in 2011, but through a government programme to ease crowding in prisons, he was put on probation after serving two months.
"We are now able to provide for our families through honest means," he told Sabahi. "We deeply regret our past spent on criminal activities, and we will continue striving to recover for the lost time."
Reformed criminals from rival gangs have followed the same path by forming farming co-ops along rivers and streams throughout the Kenyan capital, he said.
The co-ops grow passion fruit, peppers, sugar cane, onions, tomatoes, maize, beans, arrow root, sweet and white potatoes, cassava, cauliflower and greens, which they sell in markets around Nairobi.
Antony Macharia, 33, a reformed criminal who turned to co-op farming through membership with the Mathare Ghetto Farmers Group, said the reformed youths are also helping with community policing.
"Our indelible pasts make us the first suspects whenever a crime is committed in the neighbourhoods," he told Sabahi. "We have taken it upon ourselves to ensure that crime is low."
His group of eight occasionally holds town hall meetings to caution youths against following in their criminal footsteps. They also work with the community and encourage those involved in crime to give up that illicit lifestyle, he said.
Putting land to good use
Mathare District Commissioner Gerald Omoke estimates that 200 former criminals now practice farming along the river instead of engaging in crime.The land that the youths are farming has been set aside for other uses, but the government is temporarily allowing this agricultural use to help former convicts lead productive and stable lives, he said.
"To stamp out criminals and criminal activities, we encourage people to get involved in any [lawful] income-generating ventures, and farming is one of them," he told Sabahi.
The trend is spreading in the neighbourhoods of Kayole, Njiru, Ruai, Mihang'o, Dandora and Korogocho, he said.
Upon the request of the various co-ops, government agricultural officers occasionally visit the farms to teach the young farmers skills and techniques for improving crop yields, Omoke said.
Jecinta Awino, a 42-year-old grocer in Mathare, said it took time, but local residents now realise that the former gang members have truly reformed themselves.
"There is a demand for food and if one can get fresh produce directly from nearby it is cheaper because there is no transportation cost involved," she said.
Peter Ongori, 35, a resident of the Kayole neighbourhood, said their services are proving invaluable. "They are still most wanted, not for their criminal past, but for their fresh produce," he said.
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