Criminal Fate

Lost forever

Time passed and Hassan was growing fast. Maria enrolled him in Nursery school close to their home. He only spent a few hours in school. He had a lot of time to spare. Hassan was a bright boy, but he was arrogant too. He hated rules. He liked to play. He loved to play with Guyo because Guyo loved to play as well.

Guyo was still going to explore the big city of Mombasa. He loved going to the beach too. And he began taking Hassan with him when he hanged around Mtwapa, their hood. He once told Hassan about his adventures in the city and at the beach.

“I’ve been to so many places in Mombasa you know. I’ve seen many tourists, cars and big houses. I’ve even been to the beach.” Guyo said to Hassan.

 “Mama said that it’s not good to go to the city or to the beach alone. I hear there are bad people there.” Hassan said.

“I’ve been there. We usually go with my friends to the beach. We usually swim in the ocean and play with sand.” Guyo boasted.

“I want to go too.” Hassan said showing a lot of interest and excitement.

“We usually go on Saturday.” Guyo told him.

Saturday was a free day for them. So the next Saturday, they said they will be left at home playing. When Maria, Maina and their mother left for the café, Guyo and Hassan left the twin sisters at home playing and off they went to the beach.

As they left Mtwapa and headed into the city, Hassan was excited to see so many different people. He was amazed by the city and its tall buildings. They also got to the beach and Hassan was happy to see the ocean and swim in it.

When they got back home, only the twin sisters had noticed their absence. They got used to sneaking away. They made several friends in Mtwapa and at the beach. They would go with these friends to the city and the beach.

They were becoming hard headed and they started causing trouble wherever they went. Guyo and Hassan would sneak away whenever they wanted. They were once caught by Maria, they were caned and warned. But they got used to being caned. They had become naughty boys. By the time Guyo and Hassan hit teenage, they were untouchable. They were unruly and very stubborn. They were performing badly in school and were always getting into trouble with their teachers.

Guyo and Hassan loved hanging out with bad boys. They were introduced to tobacco and bhang smoking at an early age. They grew fond of bhang because it made them high. They would buy some for themselves as well. They had been hooked. Just as they had been hooked to that group of bad boys. They began to steal from the café some coins every now and then. Money that they would use to buy bhang. But it was not enough because they needed some for enjoying themselves at the beach. They loved to eat mahamri, a local snack made from wheat and sugar, and drink coconut juice.

Maria was now feeling the pinch. Her son had gone astray, just as she feared. Her youngest brother as well.  She had ran out of options. She would only hope they would one day turn a new leaf. But things kept getting worse.

Hassan later dropped out of school. He even preceded Guyo. They now had all the time in the world. The beach was Hassan’s favorite place and he would spend a lot of time there.  He loved to swim and watch ladies in swim suits. He loved coconut juice. He loved to provoke white men and hear them speak English not knowing his father was white too. He knew little of it himself. The basic one he had learnt at school.

Maria’s mother got sick again and this time it was serious. She lay in hospital for six months before passing away at the age of 54. Maria would later learn that it was cancer. Maria’s life was falling apart. Her mom had just died and left her with a hospital bill to settle and his youngest brother had corrupted her son. She felt like her world was coming to a stop. She was feeling very low. Her mother was her pillar of strength. If she had a husband, things would have been easier. She would have had a comforter. She began to think her sins were haunting her. She hoped it would be over soon, but it was just the beginning.

Maria and her siblings held a small ceremony and buried their mother 11 days after her demise. Maria was amazed by how life seemed to continue normally for people like Guyo and Hassan despite the tragedy.  She once called Hassan to speak to him.

“What are you doing to yourself son? You’re ruining your life.” Maria said to Hassan.

Hassan hesitated then answered “I’m looking for a life mama. I’m tired of living in poverty.”

“By being a criminal? You know too well how thieves have died at the hands of the people here in Mombasa. Are you willing that for yourself?” Maria asked her son.

“Many people are criminals as well. They just pretend to be good. I’ll be okay mama.” Jack said to his mother and left the room.

That statement struck Maria like a lightning. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

The group that Guyo and Hassan had joined became a gang. They started calling themselves ‘Wakali Wao’ meaning ‘the best of them all’. The gang was gaining popularity in Mtwapa especially among teenagers. They began acquiring small amounts of bhang and tobacco from peddlers and selling to fellow teenagers at a profit.  They would split the money that they earned and spend it on drugs. They would also rob unsuspecting white men at the beach. They would take the items to a black market they knew and sell them there. They would sometimes buy alcohol and hold small parties overnight.  

Guyo and Hassan had completely gone rogue. They were loyal to the gang and engaged in majority of its operations. With time, they grew more confident and comfortable with criminal life. Little did they know that they were setting themselves up for destruction?

Wakali wao began robbing with violence. They would target women and old people at night and steal from them. They would use daggers and machetes to scare their victims to death and rob them. Some of the people in the group had become animals. They would inflict serious wounds to those who were not co-operating. They would even r**e young women.

Hassan and Guyo joined three of the members in the gang for an operation in Mtwapa one night.  They had watched a certain shop keeper for a while and learnt his closure routine and the path he took while going home. They waited for him at a dark corner close to where he lived and attacked him. They would usually threaten their victim but with daggers but that did not work this time. The man tried to fight back and Hassan took a blow to the face. They all pounced on him and beat him up. One of them took a rock and hit the man on the head in an effort to knock him out. They did knock him out and began to rob him. As they were stealing from the man, they saw someone approaching with a flash light. In fear of being noticed or caught, they fled the scene so fast almost causing a stampede. As they fled. Guyo left his right shoe behind at the crime scene by mistake during the commotion

But he was not worried. He would buy another one. They would later learn the following day that the man they had attacked died. They decided to lay low for a while and live on what they had so far. They were had no worries. Besides, they were not caught. At least not yet.