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“UNITED
AGAINST CHANG’AA”
By Mercy Wanjiru
“I
am united against chang’aa,” are the words on his T-shirt.
He is lying beside a road, drunk and cannot recognise himself.
“You! Put off the light,” he says to someone invisible to
me. Then an idea strikes me. He thinks he is at his home and
is telling somebody probably his wife to put off the light.
Poor him, he is lying beside a road and its 2:00 in the
afternoon.
Many people in the slums
live the abject poverty. The absence of basic needs and poor
housing conditions tell it all. This has led to crimes like
robbery, prostitution and drug abuse. Chang’aa holds a major
interest in Korogocho.
People consume this illicit brew because it is cheap
and locally available. “Ten shillings are enough to make me
forget my problems, I don’t have a job and I have a family
to cater for,” says a chang’aa addict. Many people sell
it; in fact your neighbors is selling it or could be selling
it, consequently more deaths, health problems and broken homes
have been reported.
This is not a journalist concern but the community too.
Recently there was a marathon
to fight against chang’aa in Korogocho. Thousands of
people participated and this was a good sign of unity. The
ceremony was marked by various activities like plays,
acrobatics and talks. At the end of the marathon participants
were
given a united against chang’aa T-shirt and those who took
the first three positions were awarded with trophies. The day
was very successful. With this, I never thought that some
would go buy it on the same day or even sell it with their
T-shirt on.
Present too was the area chief
who gave this message, “I want to tell those who sell
chang’aa that your days are numbered, they should find other
alternatives for a living.” He also said that chang’aa
does not only affect ones health but also the economic status.
It seems that this problem is yet to stay for a long
time. Ironically, some Administration Police have been seen
taking bribes from chang’aa sellers. People say that they
come frequently to receive “what is theirs” leaving the
illegal business to mature to its fullest. Yet these are the
same people the chief is using to fight against chang’aa.
By
Mercy Wanjiru
20
March 2004
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