Realizing that heroine was the leading cause of death among many youths in his home area of Dagoretti, Gideon ‘Kisaka’ Obuya affirmed to do everything within his means to change the narrative. When he lost a few close friends to this drug, his fear of the outcome pushed him towards community work in Dagoretti. He started his work back in 2012, reaching out to a handful of younger friends for a simple talk about the effects of getting into drugs, the eventual outcome. His messages, however, also invited hope, and he took it upon himself to find ways to support the youth.
Two informed youths encouraged him to go an extra mile and plan for barazas where he would share more about said drug that was killing people – not just in Kawangware but in different parts of the world. This, he felt, would show that this wasn’t something Dagoretti alone was burdened with, and his call to actions would speak towards a more positive outcome.
Kisaka went further ahead to find organizations affiliated with youth and got the needed assistance to place those from Dagoretti, struggling with addiction, in rehab centres in Ngara and Mathari.
In Dagoretti, he realized as he got more immersed into his work, there were a number of teenage pregnancies, forcing young girls to turn to prostitution in order to make an income to provide for their babies. Kisaka mobilized willing girls and encouraged them to turn to cultural dances which he facilitated, that would get them decent wage.
His routine eventually became about facilitating community dialogues within Dagoretti. This dedication didn’t go unnoticed. More avenues started opening up such as representing Dagoretti subcounty in the Youth Advisory Council of Nairobi.
For the past few weeks, Kisaka has been distributing food in Dagoretti. He recently made a global call asking people to send videos depicting solidarity in these times of uncertainty. He wants more people within his networks, but mostly in Dagoretti where the magnitude of the pandemic has yet to be internalized by majority, to know about the seriousness of the pandemic, and hopes to bring about an uprise of solidarity through these video clips.
If you would like to know more about the video clips Kisaka is putting together and possibly contribute, he is reachable on +254 700 872 347
