How man, 19, suffered at the hands of his addict father

 

Baku Muda* (not his real name) is yet to fully recover from the childhood trauma caused by his father’s addiction. Muda, 19, said his father neglected his family, triggering a lot of hate from him and his siblings.

“I have never had a good relationship with my father. I went through a difficult life because of him. He is a teja [Mombasa’s slang for a drug addict],” he said.

Muda’s father used the little money he made from selling plastics to buy drugs to inject himself. “When he came home, he would bring only Sh100 and expected us to use that on food. We are five children, how was that possible? Sometimes he also wanted a share of the money,” he said.

Muda, the first of his five siblings, said they mostly survived on food from well-wishers. “During my early childhood, people called me mtoto wa teja [son of an addict] and it hurt me so much.

I gained no respect in the society because of my father. Nobody took us seriously. Whatever he said we just ignored,” he said. Muda, however, found solace in football.

His coach Ibrahim Mohamed noticed his challenges and decided to help him. “He took me to school in 2021. I joined Class 2 at Kadzandani Primary School,” Muda said.

“I hated my father because of the situation at home. There are times I contemplated robbing people just to get food.”

Because he vowed not to follow his father’s footsteps, he declined persuasions from his former friends to quit school and join crime.

“That is why I have come here today to listen to these people and get some advice,” he said. Muda is among children aged between 13 and 18 who were sensitised against drug abuse, early sex and criminal gangs on Monday.

“Currently, the hatred towards my 43-year-old father has gone down because he seems to have come to his senses and sought help.

He approached our area chief who took him to rehab,” he said. The Soweto Youth FC coach said his going back to school and talent in football has earned his some respect in the society.

“I am calling on well-wishers to help me because life is still hard. Sometimes I go to school on an empty stomach,” he said. Search for Common Ground organisation seeks to talk to the youth out of social vices.

by BRIAN OTIENO