The ‘Rich kid’ beggars of Kileleshwa and Kilimani

 

You will not meet them along Tom Mboya street and Moi Avenue – and calling you uncle, or auntie.

And, they don’t walk around with a weather-beaten begging bowl.

According to residents of Kileleshwa and Kilimani who spoke to Wananchi Reporting, the beggars are mostly young people from the rich neighbourhood.

Mostly young men whose lives may have taken an unexpected turn along the way – despite being born and brought up in money.

“Their demeanor and manner of speech is different, like children from some well-to-do families,” says Andrew Okeyo who works in Kileleshwa – but lives along Thika Road.

“I have personally met a number of them here in Kileleshwa, always appearing to be in a hurry, and speaking very good English. You can tell from their mannerism that they are children who probably grew up in money.

They usually ask for money for bus fare to rush to some place, or sort some inconvenience or emergency. They don't really beg for money to buy food, because that would probably hurt their profile.

“It’s difficult to deny someone like that money, because they don’t immediately come out as beggars, until you meet them a second or third time begging,” says Okeyo.

June Mwoki who works at a Kibanda in Kilimani – told Wananchi Reporting that most of the beggars use the money they collect to buy food, drugs and alcohol.

“Most of them are young people who went to study abroad, but ended up in drugs, before their parents dragged them back home in Kenya, with nothing to their names. No education, no life,” she said.

“I know some of them because they sometimes come here to eat madondo, and some of them talk to us, tell us about their past lives, and how their parents are hard on them; not supporting them.

“Sometimes they just come, buy one chapati, but ask for little free tea to take it with,” she says – adding that many are grappling with drugs – and are often not in the best of relationships with their parents after wasting family money,” she says.

Many still live with their aging parents, in the main house, or in the servant quarters, from where they will step out of the house to go out begging for money.

“Life in this side of the city is not cheap, and with no support from their aging parents, then they have to go out and beg because they are not the type that can work, leave alone keep a job,” said Mwoki.

Kilimani and Kileleshwa are rich neighbourhoods, teeming with malls, beautiful residential apartments, multinational companies and NGOs, all of which employ thousands of people.

To keep the people happy and entertained, there are tens of high-flying bars and restaurants, and clubs, where a lot of partying takes place – making it a Las Vegas of Nairobi.

This, according to some residents, may have turned the area into a rich begging ground – and that’s why even low-flying beggars, with their bowls, often sneak into these neighbourhood to try their luck.

Most of the beggars are men, aged in their 30s and running into their early 40s.

“The other day I met a man, a decent looking man near Chaka Road. He wore a black mask which appeared to cover his cigarette-stained teeth. He said he needed Ksh100 to board a bus back home,” says James Mwangi.

“I could tell, looking at his shoes, and dressing, that he wasn’t begging for the first time in his life,” he adds.

Residents who spoke to Wananchi Reporting fear that Good Samaritans could be inadvertently fueling drug abuse among young people living in these rich neighbourhoods.

“It’s okay to help people who are in need, but I think we should be careful not to offer help, when actually what you are doing is destroying a life,” said Mwangi.

BY  CITIZEN  DIGITAL