Rights crusader with an eye on the slum boy child

She is a well-known children's protection volunteer within the crime-prone Karagita area on the outskirts of Naivasha town.

Before the authorities can get a whiff of any case of child abuse within the sprawling estate, Susan Wangari has already been briefed.

The unassuming middle-aged woman has made a name for herself, at times attracting ire from people who disapprove of her work, after "stepping on their toes"

She has become accustomed to threats from lawbreakers, deeming her a "thorn in their flesh" but she remains unbowed.

"They slid into my direct messages on the social media platform, questioning the motive behind my drive. I only ignore them," explained Ms Wangari.

The happenings in the informal settlement border are synonymous with the notorious Sodom and Gomorrah in biblical times, with the volunteer having her work cut out.

Cases of sodomy are on the rise, with at least one case reported each week.

Sodomised

"I understand there are discreet brothels, with the targeted group being young boys," explains the volunteer.

The nauseous incidents have left her emotionally drained, citing a case involving a 13-year-old boy who was recently sodomised by a guardian.

"Those in the know secretly revealed that the victim has been warned against the incident, a tactic being used by perpetrators to cow victims," Ms Wangari explains.

She attributes the rise in moral decadence to the endemic sale of bhang and other banned substances, with some school children being hooked to the vice. 

"We have children, some as young as six years, already smoking bhang. That is Karagita for you. Cases of moral decay are mind-boggling," she points out.

With incidents on the trajectory, her mobile phone number is always inundated with calls. It has become a routine and hardly a day passes without an incident involving minors.

Together with fellow volunteers, they have been visiting schools, impressing upon the young ones on the need to embrace morality and shun drugs.

Her love for volunteer work was born out of misery after surviving an abusive marriage.

Bringing up her four children alone exposed her to the challenges the young ones were undergoing, hence her desire to take care of the less fortunate in society.

Leaning back, she recollects her meandering journey full of pitfalls that saw her undergo a messy divorce that left her with a mountain to climb.

"I separated from my husband after 14 years of a tumultuous union. I endured incessant beatings that left me hospitalised. Honestly speaking, I survived by the grace of God," she says with sadness.

Seminars

Her fight for the downtrodden dates back to 2018 after an encounter with an underage water vendor.

"He used to hawk water and I felt she was supposed to be in school. On enquiring, I established his family's low income had forced him to abandon schooling," she says.

Touched by the young man's plight, she decided to embark on a mission to take the boys to school and, so far, she managed to take several of them back to class.

She is currently handling cases of two boys aged seven and five years, who were abandoned by their parents. They were soliciting for alms when Ms Wangari caught up with them.

Under her voluntary work, she has been able to rescue more than 20 children and taken them to different rescue centres within Naivasha town.

To ensure a change of culture, Ms Wangari has organised several seminars that bring together boys aged between six and 17 years where they have been put under a mentorship programme.

"The programme has started to bear fruit with some of the former drug hooks going back to school and completing their studies.

She pinpoints a former drug user who has taken a mechanic course after being out of school for more than three years.

She is currently sourcing for partners to help her actualise her dream of setting up a rehabilitation centre for drug users and those sexually abused, especially victims of sodomy.

She remains relentless.

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