In this segment, we’ll highlight the social issues such as crime, unemployment, school drop out rate, gender roles as manifested in the neighborhood and town level in my residence.
The centerpiece of a town or neighborhood is its social fabric
Crime rate is generally low, averagely at about 3%, as the town is famously known for its military base, except for petty crimes such as chicken theft which mostly happens during the Christmas season.
In the early 2000s, when the neighborhood was in its infancy, it was deserted and most children were abducted while playing. Since 2010, security has improved immensely especially with the introduction of ‘nyumba kumi’ elders who are always on guard for strangers roaming the neighborhood. The city council has also invested in street lighting, so the roads are well lit during the night, discouraging crimes.
Unemployment, like in any other town/country/economy, is a monster especially among the youths. It rates at about 80% and goes hand in hand with the rate of school drop-outs which is driven mostly by poverty and teenage pregnancies. Retail business is slow in this town and so most men opt to operate ‘boda bodas’ to provide for their needs and those of their families.
Most girls become moms at the age of 16 years depriving them of the opportunity to study and transition to skills training institutes, and as most of them come from poor backgrounds and due to the unavailability of casual jobs in this town, most if not all end up being stay-at- home moms depending fully on the little that their ‘self-employed’ parents or husbands will bring. This trend encourages food and material poverty overall. Domestic violence is a hush-hush issue in the neighborhood except on select days when it turns to loud insults and physical confrontations.
Another social issue that is dominant in our neighborhood is neglect of children. It is mostly fueled by economic hardship- basic needs (food, shelter, clothing and education) budget vs consumption of illicit brew “chang’aa” by both men and women as it is relatively cheaper than beer. This has led to most children roaming on streets and in market places begging for food and contribution towards their general needs. There is also an influx of child abandonment with most street children not knowing where their parents fled to.
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