Campus, a “paradise” where anything goes

While in primary school, our teachers used to say, "the beautiful ones are not yet born," perhaps to groom us into moral adults who would be pleasing to our parents. But did it work? Well, maybe. Then came high school, and the phrase changed to "Beautiful and handsome ones are in the university". This made us bury our heads in books, determined to score high and join the lookers in college. Before campus life changed us all, in our homes, most of us bore impressive titles: Worship leader, ambitious young man, go-getters, future pastor...we were naïve on matters love and loins, and cared little about trendy dress codes. 

Whenever we bumped into dreadlocked, carefree men in rugged, sagging trousers bouncing on the road, we would scoff at them and quietly make snide comments regarding their lost souls. Then we joined campus and it all changed. There we found female comrades fearlessly clad in tight trousers, tumbocats, miniskirts, crop tops and other outfits that would make their parents fail to recognise them in a crowd. 

They pierced their noses, painted their nails and boldly applied black and blue lipstick. At first, we stood aside and joined the society in calling them harlots. After all, our parents had warned us against associating with such "immoral" lads. We focused on staying pure, religious and bright dreamers.

A few months in, nature fixed us. We discovered birthday parties, fashion trends, night clubs, contraceptives and abusable substances. Our new friends introduced us to pills, joints, mizinga and campus marriage. We, the naïve students and future pastors, entered marriage arrangements on campus grounds.

We lost our purity through panty after party, learnt improper use of contraceptives and adapted the “my dress my choice” mantra. We left innerwear to the freshers and chose to go commando, breaking men’s necks with our quarter naked dress codes. Bi-curious became our new gender tag, and we seduced both men and women with equal frequency. Ours was semestered love, never meant for marriage.

As our parents and former teachers sat at home thinking that we are nice children of the good Lord, we transformed into sadists, drug addicts, conmen, and party animals. Married on campus but unmarried at home, holy and innocent at home but vicious terrorists and religiousless at school. Who do we blame for our worrying future? Parents, teachers, peers or ourselves? 

Hosea Namachanja is a student at Moi University