Purple Drank

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Picture The Boy – no older than 20- rolling a blunt on a wooden coffee table. He’s in a bedsit in Roysambu; small windows, cheap curtains, wooden door. He’s in a t-shirt and jeans, the official body armour for the young and free. Hiphop music is playing on the the laptop -the type you dance to while bouncing on the balls of your feet. His friend – the owner of the bedsitter – is lying on the sofa, his long legs stretched out, one arm behind his head, the other pinching the last of the burning tip of a blunt. The small room smells of weed and fresh paint and old socks. This is how boys live, in a colossal ruin of youth.
They are freshmen. I would like to be vague and mention that they are freshmen in a university “along Thika Road”, but it’s pointless as you will see as the story unfolds that this could be USIU. The previous day had been orientation where older students had impressed upon them the evils of drug abuse, after which The Boy had gone to a “fresher’s party” where the same older student who was talking about drug abuse was standing at the window smoking a blunt.
“That’s when I knew this place was mad,” says The Boy. He’s nibbling at a chicken sandwich, a cap pulled low over his face. He has white earphones dangling from his neck, a silver stud gleams from his left earlobe, and when his lips aren’t moving, they are set in a cynical grimace, because at that age you must question the world and its people a lot. Emblazoned across his t-shirt are the words “virtual obsession”, aptly ironic. He has a thread necklace with a metallic pendant of the Eiffel Tower. I wondered if it had a significance and I asked him, what it was. And he – fiddling with the pendant, had said deadpan, “This is the Eiffel Tower.” No shit. So no, it’s just a pendant, no significance. It could have been a boat or a penny or a hoe. For now it’s the Eiffel Tower. His Whatsapp picture is of his mugshot wearing a black hood pulled over his head but instead of his face is a smiley face drawn in white. Like one of the characters on the Scream movies, which I can’t bring up to him because the first Scream movie was released just about when he was born. I’m not ready to feel old. Yet.
He’s a good looking boy with great charisma and a cockiness that comes with knowing that the world will always feed out of your hand. Notably, he has his mother’s sense of humour.
Speaking of which, his mother is my friend. Actually his mother was my pal’s girlfriend, she’s a single mom of two. Things didn’t work out so they split up and normally when that happens, the rules of the jungle dictate that your relationship with your boy’s ex shouldn’t be close. Something called allegiance. (You might have heard of it.) Such a friendship should remain like a plant that shouldn’t be watered. But when they broke up two years ago I never stopped being friends with her because she’s über cool, funny as hell, unpretentious and she keeps it real all the time. I thought, “why do I have to break up with her too? I’ll keep this one.” So I did. We retained the friendship.
The Boy describes the first semester in uni as a rabbit hole filled with debauchery and the kind of decisions that only the young can make. He lived in the campus hostels but spent all his time with his boy in his bed-sit where they lounged around with the windows open and smoked weed and watched hip hop and the making of the videos and the interviews thereafter. They tried not to let school and classes intrude on this plan too often.
Everytime I see a young-un with earphones stuffed in their skull I always want to ask what they are listening to. I see the earphones as this mysterious vortex of strange callings and strange emotions, a world of secrecy and a mystifying dialect from a different tribe. Now I ask The Boy what kind of music they would be listening to, what kind of music he listened to as he was coming here.
“Travis Scott,” he says. “You know him?”
“No,” I say. “Ask me another one.”
He laughs and rummages in his memory for another artist.
“Lil Pump.”
“Why is he called Lil Punk?”
“No, it’s Lil Pump.”
Ah, never heard of that one as well.
“21 Savage?”
“Jeez, no. Never heard of him either. But I know Lil Wayne.”
He chuckles. Later I will Google Lil Pump and find a picture of his middle finger extended at the camera, colourful dreadlocks that look like a serpent’s small colon. I watched one video where he carries bags of weed and a styrofoam cup while singing “Gucci gang Gucci gang Gucci gang/ me and my grandma still taking meds/ I can’t buy a bitch no wedding ring/ rather go buy Balmain/ Gucci gang Gucci gang Gucci gang/ fucking my teacher, call it tutorial/ none of this shit be new to me/ Gucci gang Gucci gang Gucci gang/ I fucked a bitch and forgot her name…” There is a Tiger in the video that may or may not be the bitch he referenced. It was all so confusing, this Pump guy. The only
part I liked is where someone kept doing “brrrrr” in the song.
“I remember watching Lil Wayne’s interviews and he would always be so high, slurring, holding the double styrofoam cup,” he says. “He [Lil Wayne] always made passing reference to what was in his cup. That was like a new culture for us. We were curious as to what was in that cup! Lil Wayne trademarked that styrofoam cup, trademarked it, and we were dying to know, what the hell was in that cup because – ”
His phone rings. He fishes it out of his pocket and looks at it and then answers with a soft voice that I’m sure Lil Pump (or his menacing tiger) would not approve of.
“Hello, hi…yes…I’m having lunch….no, I left the house, I’m not at home….Adam’s Arcade…Mom’s friend… we are just talking….[chuckles]…he’s called Biko…I will….yes….OK, bye.”
“Who was that?” I ask like a jealous lover.
“That’s my cucu, everybody is alert now, they want to know where I am and what I’m doing….anyway, where was I?”
“Lil Wayne’s cup.”
“Yes. So yeah everyone wanted to know what is in Lil Wayne’s cup and finally one time he revealed it in an interview, it was codeine and promethazine.”
If you do a quick search on Google like I did after, you will stumble on the The Double Styrofoam Cup or Double Cup trend that he’s talking about, known to be Lil Wayne’s signature. In that cup is what they call Purple Drank which is a mixture that became popular in the hip hop community originating in Houston. It contains codeine and promethazine. Codeine is cough medicine, promethazine is used to treat allergies and motion sickness, nausea, vomiting, swollen lips from eating fish etc.
“Huko majuu it’s purple in colour because they mix it with some soft drink that is that colour. So anyway, we google the Kenyan brand names for this thing and Benylin comes up…”
So he leaves his pal in the house and walks to the nearest chemist where he hangs at the back to let a few customers finish. Finally alone, he stands at the grill and tells the lady that he needs Benylin. The chemist doesn’t have promethazine syrup so she gives him the pill form – 1o of them. He also buys the one litre of Sprite and heads back to the house. “I spent, maybe, over a gee, because the Benylin was 5 sock and the pills were 550, so yeah, a gee fifty,” he says. “Now we didn’t know the quantities of these things to mix this so we emptied half of the sprite and dissolved all the ten pills into the remaining half. We chapad a flash then a second one then we started sipping the third one pole pole.”
“How did that feel?” I ask.
“Have you ever smoked weed?”
I tell him I have, a few times. Hated it. The few times I smoked it all I wanted was to sleep, I felt like a baby. I would never hang out with Lil Pump.
“So when you smoke weed your brain become stupid and it’s always shifting. This wasn’t like weed… I don’t know how to describe it. [Pause] Everything moves so slowly, the music is slow and you get this feeling of wanting to sleep, you feel like if you sleep now you will get the best sleep in your life, but you are not supposed to sleep because then what’s the point of taking it, right? So we rolled another…..waaah. I don’t know how I felt, maybe euphoria, I don’t know. I felt like nothing was wrong. You feel so calm and chilled and when you speak you hear yourself speaking normally but people listening can tell you are high. But you don’t care. You never panic, nothing makes you anxious, life is just so easy. I could have stepped on a puppy and felt nothing. That night we put it into Sprite bottles and went to Persia to hang out…”
[Persia is at TRM (Thika Road Mall) probably a place cool children hang out] Normally they would only go to Westlands if someone had money and there was always someone with money. “A guy would win a sports gamble and say, okay, I have 30K tonight, dress up, I’m treating you all tonight. And we would all dress up.” He continues. “Guys realised that at the club we wouldn’t be drinking, we were just sipping our Sprites. At this time, this thing – just beginning of last year – had not shikad USIU, nobody knew about it. It was our discovery, we were the founders. But the thing is when you take too much cough syrup it just messes you up; you forget what you were saying mid-sentence, you doze off while talking, and that wasn’t working for us because we wanted to stay up. So we found a pill called Ritalin – it’s for people with ADHD. That drug would make us stay up for over two days!”
“When you say you found, where did you find it; on Google?” I ask.
“ No. There was a chick in Uni who used to use it to stay awake to study at night. That thing is like ten times Red Bull. We were getting better at this, improving the product. We would also get recommendations from our chemist lady on what other drugs would work. People started catching on with this thing, we were…”
A friend of mine walks over to say hello. I stand to hug her and when I turn to introduce The Boy I find he was already on his feet, like a gentleman. He stands until the lady leaves. I found that very, very strange and confusing, these good manners. On one hand is a boy listening to someone say they fuck a bitch and forget their name, and would never buy them a no wedding ring and on the other hand he’s got the breeding to stand up when a lady comes to his table.
Lil Pump’s aversion to buying a wedding ring or remembering names intrigued me. I wondered if the wedding ring in question and all the references were simply generational metaphors that the rest of us can’t comprehend. I wondered if we had missed the whole point of the message in these songs. Maybe this genre of hip hop is multilayered and nuanced as a form of high allegory that we will never appreciate as a generation.
After watching the video, I had called The Boy and asked him if he would buy “a bitch a wedding ring” and he said “Nope.” I asked why and he said, “Maybe for her pinkie.” There is a song by 21 Savage that says, ‘fuck a wedding ring I bought a necklace.”
“Do you see yourself married in future?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” he laughed.
Anyway second semester they moved into a two bedroom 27K a month apartment outside uni with a friend of his. When the mother met his roommate, because she had to know who he was going to live with, he was a very polite and disciplined boy. He was muslim, very well-spoken and quite well-behaved. “He would finish his phone-conversation with his parents by saying “Mashallah” and when I heard that I thought, baas my son is going to be in good company. Those boys just played me,” she told me.
He was getting KShs 2,500 a week in allowance and so was his roommate and so they had a 5K to play with. “His money was my money and my money was his money. We were brothers. The house we moved into, we discovered, had over 1,000 units of electricity from the former tenant who we were told was a drug dealer. So now we weren’t paying for electricity and all the money went into buying drugs. Do you know what a Trap House is?”
I say I didn’t know what a Trap House is. In fact at this point I realise that I didn’t know anything, nothing at all. I mean if I don’t know who Lil Pump is what good was I, breathing near him? I’m also weak and disgraceful to be the kind of guy who might buy a bitch a wedding ring.
“That house was a Trap House, a crazy house,” he says. “It was everyone’s house, people walked in and out, some slept there, others would leave their clothes there. We would wake up and do nothing the whole day but mix that drug, smoke weed, play video games and watch musical videos. Whole day, man! I started skipping most of my classes.”
“Did that bother you?” I ask with unrealistic hope.
“Nothing bothered me, nothing can bother you when you are on that stuff. Anyway, one morning as I was preparing to go to go to school, someone knocked on the door. It was around 7am, since our house always had people coming in and out, I thought it was one of the pals.I opened the door and there was a guy standing there. He was a short guy with a beard and all these piercings everywhere and was wearing all black; black jacket, black trousers, black shoes, man, everything black. He said, ‘ You guy, I left my stima here.” I asked him, ‘what stima?’ He said “You know what I’m talking about, don’t act stupid.’ {He laughs] I told him, ‘Ebu wait’ and then I went to wake my housemate up: “There is a guy here who says he left his stima here, I think he’s the guy whose stima we have been using.’ Of course I knew he was the drug dealer who had come back for his stima because as soon as I had opened the door, the chaps who were sleeping in the sitting room just fled from the house. Ha-ha.”
They never paid the drug dealer his money because they didn’t care or fear. He says that his house-mate’s father is in the armed forces and so he has a “reputation” so the dealer didn’t dare mess with him. Plus they were buying weed from this dealer. Weed for an electricity plan.
His mom noticed a gradual change in him whenever he went back home on Friday afternoons. He would sleep a lot. His eyes had changed colour. (“When Mom started commenting on my eyes I started using eye drops and that sorted that problem,” he says). He says she only noticed that he was high only when he would talk to her because of his lazy talk. Back in uni things were getting worse. Their house became more hectic and became a real trap house because they would not leave the house for a whole week. Girls would drift through at odd hours, looking for weed or booze or sex or all of the above. By now they weren’t bothering with making appearances in class. When they were in school they had backpacks on their backs, Sprite bottles in their hands and music in their ears, listening to Lil Pump tell them how they will be damned if they ever remember a bitch’s name.
“How much sex was happening in that apartment? I ask.
“Lots of sex, man,” he says. “There were girls who wouldn’t mind just spending over, you know.”
“Were you all using protection?
“All the time. Whenever we went to the chemist to load up we would always buy condoms. There were always more condoms in that house than the people at any given time.” A third member joined them. He was a foreign student with more money to spend. They weren’t eating because, well, food was a waste of space. When they did eat it was chips. He lost weight. He would be awake for days, high, euphoric, drinking, smoking, watching videos, staring into blank space, playing video games. Money wasn’t a problem. He says he’s very good at the FIFA video game. He would bet and play and win.
“Then Mom started asking me about my exam results, “ he says, “and since I had failed I didn’t know what to tell her. Thankfully, my uni has a system where only you have the password to access your results, nobody else can. So I started giving excuses to her and finally I heard that she was calling the school asking questions, snooping around, so I asked my friend who is an IT whiz to scramble the system if she tries to gain access to my grades and he was successful. She was locked out for a bit. Meanwhile she would call asking me about my results every day, I would tell her, “Aii mom, si you relax I will get them for you!”
Finally the truth came out and she was livid. He doesn’t recall the tongue-lashing because he was high throughout the diatribe. By this time The Boy had discovered a drug called MDMA [Ecstasy]. They were also doing Valium on top of everything else and they’d be high for eight hours straight. A few days after discovering that he had failed, his mom showed up at the apartment with movers. His things were hauled away in a truck.
He was enrolled in a small computer college to keep him out of trouble. He would buy the drugs from pharmacies in Hurlingham and load up. One day he overdid it, took a whole litre of it, and was zonked out. That evening, the mom back from work, leaned on his bedroom door, still carrying her handbag and looked at him lying in bed, unable to move. The next morning they had a mother-son talk, but he remembers little of that talk since he was still high. She begged him to talk to tell her if he was doing drugs, he finally admitted to only weed.
A few days later a friend of his came from China where he had gone for studies. He had won $2,000 dollars in a dancing competition and called him to treat him. He told his mom he would be going out but would be back by 1am.
They went to the trap house, where a party ensued. A wild one. His phone died at some point and he put his sim-card in his pal’s phone. At 11pm his friend received a text that he thought was from his brother, asking what time he would be going home. “This guy texts back and writes, “Aii kwani you are my mother?” [Laughs] “Mom gets mad and the guy says he isn’t coming back home.”
At some point he asks his friend “Yo, has my mom texted or called?” and he says, “Oh shit, I think I have been texting her not my bro.” He calls his mom who is livid. “She is shouting at me and I’m trying to tell her to calm down and she says you have to come back home now and I say “I will, Mom, just not now” and she says “Are you choosing your friends over your family?” I was so high by this time so I told her, “Mom, sikuji. I won’t come today, don’t wait up.” Then she hung up and I knew then I was on my own.
For the next ten days they stayed high, spending all this Chinese haul. “It was crazy. We would get so high that I’d black out, but not ati the blackout of alcohol where you sleep because you can’t sleep after taking all these drugs, so you are up but you don’t know you are up, your memory is blank. One day I woke up in downtown Nairobi, with no phone, no jacket, I didn’t even know how I got there. Another day I woke up sitting outside another friend’s gate. No memory at all.”
His mom reached out this time a number of times; calls and smses. “Come, please come home, everything will be fine. Come we talk.” After ten days he went back home one night after the money was finished.
“I checked into the house at 9pm. Mom was in the sitting room with my small bro watching TV. She turned and looked at me when I walked in. I was high as hell but I could tell she wasn’t angry, she just looked at me with a sad look. I said, “Hey guys?” They said “Hi.” [Laughs]. Then I said, “Mom can I go take a shower first?” and she said “Sawa” so I took a shower. We later had a talk and she asked me if I needed help and I said I did. I thought help was counseling because I used to see a counsellor in school when I joined…”
About what?
“Just life, man. I was confused about university. I was wondering why come here to study and spend all this money and then not have a job when I finish. What’s the point of education?”
A few days later his mom comes back home at 9am from work and says they are going to see a counselor. They drive to Karen and along the way she is talking to him, telling him not to throw his life away, to tell her how bad things are, that there isn’t anything they can’t solve together. He had smoked a joint, his head is resting on the head rest, trees and tables and mkokoteni and furniture and earthen pots for sale are running outside the window in Ngong Road. He’s feeling empty but also euphoric and a bit confused. His body, he feels, belongs to someone else, his decisions no longer in his hands. He’s standing at the deck, watching his ship get off the pier without him.
They get to Karen. A big house, maisonette. No signage. He smells polished wood and the sound of someone coughing. A dragging chair. A closing door. Birds. The grass is so green he needs to squint to look at it. The air is full of sunshine, but he isn’t feeling all this. He feels nothing. He says nothing and when he does, before the counsellor, his words sound old, like they have lived longer than he has. These are not his words, this is not their house, this is not his ship. “Where you going?” he asks his mom as she picks up her keys, and she says she’s going to get him fries (yeah, at 10:30am) and when the door closed behind her he realised immediately the trick. He was in rehab. And he couldn’t leave.
“Were you pissed off, did you feel betrayed?” I ask.
“No, I was high. I was very calm.”
They sedated him. But instead of waking up 12 hours later he woke up 2 hours later. He woke up in a “dirty bed” that someone “had slept in previously.” He looked around and there were seven other beds. “At first I thought I was in a morgue, because waking up in strange places wasn’t new.” But then he got his bearings. The smell of the room reminded him of high school dormitories. The windows were grilled. He walked downstairs and asked for food and he sat at the table and ate slowly with his hands.
He was in inmate, as they were called.
“What do you remember most about rehab?”
“I remember looking at the perimeter fence and thinking that I could jump over it and leave, but then what next? So I said, let’s see where this goes. The place is owned by this chick who I didn’t like. She never came regularly and didn’t talk to us when she did. It didn’t help that I was the only person with drug addiction, and the youngest. The rest (ages 30 to 50) were alcoholics and I felt like they didn’t know how to handle my case,” he says.
“Doctors would come and take my blood and pee samples and then give me the same drugs I was taking and then wean me off slowly and it didn’t make sense to me at all. If you want me to get off drugs don’t give me drugs at all. So I wouldn’t take them, I would hide them. I don’t think the staff knew what they were doing. The resident counsellor was fired while I was there; she was sleeping with one of the inmates. Of course they didn’t tell us why she was fired but we knew because at lights off we would hear footsteps going downstairs and one day we – me and this other guy – saw one of the guys going down to the counsellor’s room. You see what I’m saying, what kind of a place is this where a counsellor sleeps with someone trying to recover?”
My phone battery is now at 3%. We have been talking close to four hours. We go to my car where I plug the phone in to charge.
“I remember the boredom mostly,” he continues. “Goodness. There was nothing to do. So I started smoking cigarettes. At some point I was going crazy with boredom so I started taking the drugs they were giving me initially that I wasn’t taking. There was a time, a month in, that my mom came to see me and I was shouting at her to get me out of there. That place was mad. I celebrated my 21st birthday in there last year.”
“What did you do for your birthday?”
“I didn’t get high, for sure. [Chuckles]. I also met a girl in rehab.”
Oh, you did?!
“Yes. She was brought in by the parents for a blood test one day and it was negative but the parents had her locked in all the same. That was the third time she was in rehab. The second time she also met another boy, an inmate, and they dated…”
“Oh, and women say it’s hard to meet a man anymore.” [He misses the joke. It’s an old folks joke, I guess].
“Is there temptation to go back to doing drugs?” I ask him. He says without hesitation that it is alive. “The temptation is crazy because I can simply walk into a chemist and buy it. I have cravings but I won’t go back because I want to go places, I want to make it. I know if I start now I’m finished. In rehab there were people who had been there a few time and they say each time you go back it gets worse. I don’t know if I can get worse than I was; one doctor in rehab told me that technically I shouldn’t be alive.” We watch a lorry reverse to a construction site across the parking lot. “But I don’t like how people say I’m a recovering addict, I’m not a recovering addict, I’m recovered. I just need to stay busy.”
When he went into rehab his friends couldn’t get a hold of him. They thought he had died. He has spoken to them since he’s been out. He speaks to some of them because, like he tells his mom, they “are not all bad.”
His mother doesn’t have faith in the rehab. She feels that it didn’t have the right ingredients, that they didn’t seem capable but she had no choice. “I spent so much money but I don’t think I got value for it. I’m afraid that he hasn’t healed because the reasons he gives me for not wanting to go back to drugs is that he doesn’t want to disappoint me which is sweet but not enough. I’m afraid that his friends will come looking for him. These are boys and girls who drive expensive luxury cars and get loads of money from their parents, who by the way, don’t care what’s going on. Rich kids with means. How do I start keeping him from that temptation?” She says. “I think I might just go back to school and study a course that can help people with addiction because I have looked everywhere for someone to help him and they are so few and far apart!”
I asked the boy what he’s doing to stay clean and he said, “Been making sure that I don’t have any money in my pocket.” It broke my heart in many ways that I didn’t imagine I’d possibly hear him say that.
I think about this boy selfishly because I have a son and a daughter and this might be my problem in a few years. I also think about Lil Pump’s tiger. When I think about The Boy, I see him wearing a white linen shirt that shows his ribs and his young belly. He’s standing on a cliff, his earphone in his ears, the wind is blowing. It’s sunset, that beautiful golden hour right before darkness reigns with its demons. The Boy has blocked this beauty around him and is shouting something that he is listening to, repeating the words. He’s smiling but he’s lonely. Lonely in beauty. At the bottom of the cliff is Lil Pump squinting up, holding the double cup, his mouth full of gold, his neck a canvas of tattoos of skulls. He’s saying something to him but the wind is stealing his words.
The Boy is singing a song by Lil Pump: Foreign bitch with me/ she do anything/ Yeah, she love my diamonds/ The bitch wonna give me a brain/ Bitch it’s a Gucci gang. He’s singing the braggadocio’s anthem, but there is no bravado in his voice or in his bones, just fear. He’s scared.
Behind him his mom sobs softly in her hands.

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246 Comments
  1. Good read mans……….theres always something to look foward to on a tuesday other than the skinny crust terrific tuesday offers

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    1. To me it’s not a good read but a sad reality.
      This is what am going thro with my son up and until the part where he drops from school.
      Like that mother, I don’t know what to do.

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      1. That is so sad…,… Make sure you grab more time talking to him and we have programs on drug Awareness where he can attend for free and he can grab something that can transform his life

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      2. That is so sad…,… Make sure you grab more time talking to him and we have programs on drug Awareness where he can attend for free and he can grab something that can transform his life

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      3. Hallo.. there’s counselling services in Mathare for drug addiction. It’s called the CSAT clinic. It’s an outpatient service…you can start there .pole

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      4. Hi Mama,

        Read the book “The Power of Habit” by charles Duhigg. It my give a way to help your son handle the drug addiction and get rid of it. Maybe it might help. I wish you all the best.

        Leonig.

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      5. Hey Mama.
        I am Sheila and I run a program for the youth. It’s 6 weeks long called Inside Out.
        It’s Holistic, and promotes healing of the soul that results in intentional living, emotional intelligence and spiritual development.
        The drugs is a manifestation are symptom of emptiness within.

        For more information email me on [email protected]

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      6. There is hope and you can help your friend. I can refer you to someone I look up to, he is good with dealing with young adults. I’ve seen him mentor and help many without taking them to rehab. If interested kindly email me.

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      7. It is comforting to hear that I am not the only one who kept thinking ( and worrying) about my son the entire time as I read this painfully authentic article. With every paragraph, I kept trying to scrutinize myself and identify which parenting mistakes I have made that may eventually lead my child into drugs in future… May God shield our children and shield us parents as well!

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  2. It’s sunset, that beautiful golden hour right before darkness reigns with its demons. The Boy has blocked this beauty around him and is shouting something that he is listening to, repeating the words.
    Wow!

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    1. The mum is brave. She knows that for the boy to be truly healed, he must want to do it for himself, not for her. I strongly think, the boy might be interested in doing something creative. Something artistic. Music, painting, playing musical instruments, drawing, play writes, writing, watching plays… Basically anything artistic. What he wants. They are very fulfilling. Peaceful and calming. Maybe he will study psychology later and be able to fill the gap with his niche. ” Perhaps this is the moment for which
      you [he] were created… Es 4:14″
      Perhaps he is exactly where he is supposed to be. The worst part would be treating him differently, like he’s about to fall.

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      1. Just because he’s being doing drugs doesn’t mean he’s automatically qualified to be an artist. Drugs and artistry are not symbiotic.

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    2. Wah,im reading this for the third time.May God help this youngsters.
      i feel for the mum,now i understand why we are always told to pray for young people.

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  3. In fact at this point I realise that I didn’t know anything, nothing at all. I mean if I don’t know who Lil Pump is what good was I, breathing near him? I’m also weak and disgraceful to be the kind of guy who might buy a bitch a wedding ring….haha

    This is quite sad how a little experimenting and some money and bad company could be misleading and is so dangerous. I hope The boy recovers fully and goes places as he says…My heart goes out to him.

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  4. I have always ignored the plight of drug addicts for a long time because i always felt it is a situation they allowed themselves in. However, my perception is changing with time as i continue to raise my children since all i can think about right now is the plight of his mom and the lengths she has had to go to deal with his sons addiction.
    Sad indeed

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  5. As a single mother i feel so much pain… what shall we do to protect our children. Mine is only 4. I fear for her.
    May God give me the wisdom and guidance on how to raise my LO.

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  6. A quirky punish comment would be great for this story but this story gave me a heavy heart reading it that I can’t bring me to such a comment. I think being in campus nowadays is clearly close to walking a high rope that is on fire. Add that to the pressures of young men and women and suddenly Subaru guys are not the most endangered humans anymore.

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  7. Ngai!? Biko, you have no idea how out of touch parents are with the reality of prescription drug abuse.
    Your words have the unintended result of romanticized the scourge.
    Huku mtaa Watu wanatumia hadi Ketamine. Ni noma juu hii high mavijana wana chase ita wamaliza.
    Maze….

    21
    1. I don’t think Biko has romanticized the scourge of prescription drugs… Contrarily, he has created an awareness of the reality. Personally, I have been shocked by what is happening to the youth. Kudos Biko.

      3
  8. Incredibly scary as a parent of a growing child to read such an account. It’s like one would wonder which planet to move your child too, otherwise you morph into a helicopter parent who is in close proximity all the time. Watching and checking.
    My heart goes out to the mother, and by extension The Boy. Hope everything will truly pan out alright, and that this addiction is behind them.

    13
    1. No Caroline, when you become a helicopter parent things will degenerate very very fast. My father though a strict disciplinarian was also my first friend. So the key to keeping close tabs on your children is to talk to them and be their friends right from when they suckling and keep talking TO them and learning what their activities are and guiding/correcting when you notice danger signs, then MAYBE you will not have The Boy in your life. However, in this case The Boy wants out of drugs but he doesn’t know how and somehow I feel that he wants to be SOMEBODY and SOMETHING and all that he requires is a firm father figure and someone he looks up to to guide him and he will not go back.

      11
      1. I too in all these, I’m wondering, where is his dad and why isn’t he taking responsibility?? I think the person who has failed him most is his dad.

        2
  9. Nice read Biko, it scares me that this is the generation we have but instead of taking action we bury our heads in the sand and assume it will change without our input or its none of our business. This are our daughters, sons, relatives and friends we sweat everyday to keep comfortable and in school only to blow our hard earned money on drugs. God help us.

    5
  10. David, I know you read this and will be see these comments, particularly this one. All through this story, I saw you, the vision of you was so vivid. You might not need a rehab or been lucky to have graduated last year. You know your indulgence. You need to stop before it gets bad, You are a very bright boy. Let your 23rd birthday not get you in the same dark hole. I regret everything. I am sorry and hope you get the help yo deserve before it is too late ..

    62
  11. My heart bleeds for the mother, it’s so painful watching your own child doing this, at times it makes you feel like you failed to do your motherly duties.
    So who is Lil Pump and 21 savage never heard about them too

  12. Always a good read and an eye opener of what these cough syrups and other over the counter drugs can do I’m so scared

  13. I’m glad someone actually shed some light on this. We’re living in some very weird times. The millenial child (Lil Pump is 17) is indulging in some modern day drugs that parents would have no whiff of(literally). The repetitive mentioning of these drugs in song lyrics(Trap Music) doesn’t help either; casually talking about cocaine, lean, molly, percocets, adderrall, xanax, etc makes me shiver, It’s getting out of hand and especially because in our beloved 3rd world country, ignorance and negligence prowls like Lil Pump’s tiger. Most of these will be over-the-counter drugs and while some might be presciption only, we’re a money first country and in most cases the pharmacist won’t even flinch while selling the drugs.
    Parents should stay woke, the same way you’re quick to be a WebMedic and you diagnose stuff quickly once you see certain symptoms, research on these modern drugs; symptoms/effects, images, variations etc.
    I wouldn’t really blame the kids in fact all of us went through that experimental age. Theirs is just a little bit advanced, confused and different.
    God help us.

    http://www.ianwainaina.wordpress.com

    38
  14. I asked the boy what he’s doing to stay clean and he said, “Been making sure that I don’t have any money in my pocket.”
    This was such an honest response, I was not ready for… I was waiting to read exercise, staying away from my old friends etc. All I can say is ‘Boy, take it one day at a time. Recovery, just like everything in life is a journey and not a destination and somehow, someway were all in it.’

    26
  15. Lil pump, that hiphop guy who has even dyed his locks with gucci colours…cant believe this drugs are easily available

    1
  16. “……I can simply walk into a chemist and buy it…..” A very sad state of our chemists and pharmacies.
    The boy is determined to break from this evil that is drugs, I wish him all the best.

    4
    1. It’s not the fault of chemists and pharmacies. These are prescription drugs, they can’t just stop selling them because some youth have discovered ‘creative’ ways of getting high. It’s a sad state of affairs.

      1
      1. They are buying the drugs without prescriptions! A pharmacist/chemist should demand a prescription, but money is more important, right?

        2
      2. Exactly,they should not be sold without a valid prescription but because people are money hungry they just sell to whoever

    1. That’s not rubbing it in. It’s to show awareness that these prescription drug abuse habits and drug addiction are an equal opportunity scourge and ANY one can fall into their clutches lest some think it’s “those other people’s” problem. This is a call to ALL parents and families to get woke.

  17. This absolutely breaks my heart because it is the story of so many young people. It may happen to my son, my daughter, my nieces or my nephews. Yet, like many other parents, I have no clue how to help or where to get help. The most I’m doing is to pray and hope that all goes well with our young people.

    5
  18. Tragic story told with so much humour. When I was beginning drugs experimentation my father insisted no dragged me to church with him. When I got there I reckoned I might as well enjoy the service. I still remember the sermon today because it saved me. The theme was “Stupidity”.
    The boy sounds so helpless and lost the father in me feels frightened for him and that precipice that he is standing at. Is there salvation for him and his mother? It is scary. His strategy is going to fail sooner rather than later as his mother fears and that is so so SCAAARY. He sounds like a reasonable kid but lacking direction and he is hungry for something (what he doesn’t know – someone help him discover it) but not uni.
    Biko are you going to be the father figure for him? I feel that that is what he needs – point him in the right direction and help him stay the course. Please?

    26
  19. This is heart wrenching and scary…. I pray that he kicks the habit… Having experienced addiction in my family… It’s affects the whole family… And it’s very lonely most times….. I put the family in God’s hands… Pray pray hard….. It’s a long road… But there is light at the end of the tunnel…..

    3
  20. I’m glad someone actually shed some light on this. We’re living in some very weird times. The millenial child (Lil Pump is 17) is indulging in some modern day drugs that parents would have no whiff of(literally). The repetitive mentioning of these drugs in song lyrics(Trap Music) doesn’t help either; casually talking about cocaine, lean (sizurp, purpledrank), molly(MDHD), percocets, adderrall, xanax, etc makes me shiver, It’s getting out of hand and especially because in our beloved 3rd world country, ignorance and negligence prowls like Lil Pump’s tiger. Most of these will be over-the-counter drugs and while some might be presciption only, we’re a money first country and in most cases the pharmacist won’t even flinch while selling the drugs.

    Parents should stay woke, the same way you’re quick to be a WebMedic and you diagnose stuff quickly once you see certain symptoms, research on these modern drugs; slang names, symptoms/effects, images, variations etc.

    I wouldn’t really blame the kids in fact all of us went through that experimental age. Theirs is just a little bit advanced, confused and different.

    God help us.

    http://www.ianwainaina.wordpress.com

    4
  21. Reading this is just sad since these are things most parents, if not all, don’t know exist. I had to google all those drugs and its even worse knowing that they are easily accessible to anyone without a prescription.
    How should we raise these kids???

    1
  22. Sad. The boy and the mum. I can say one thing for sure, for a drug addict to change it is a personal decision, rehab doesn’t change someone it is the person who decides to change. Then parents outside there, train your kids to be assertive. Train them to get their act together from a young age. In campus , most people get into drugs due to peer pressure, they are not used to making their own decisions hence they go with the crowd. Alafu sasa why should campus students stay in a 27k house? Parents please let these children know something about working hard and sacrifice. Giving a child everything makes them think they are entitled to everything, money can be used carelessly and so on.Lastly, talk ,talk, talk. It helps.

    Hopefully the young guy will have a total transformation that stems from within. A change in attitude. The mum should try surrounding him with excellent people of different perspectives. Find him a life coach, spiritual guide and he will slowly be on track. It is never easy.

    32
    1. I am not sure how you mean this to come out Irene. As Biko has highlighted, there as old as fifty-year-olds in the rehab. And one more thing, a born ’99 is 18 years old now. That is way above the starting point of drug abuse. People start as early as 12 and 13 depending on exposure.

      Drug abuse knows no age limit

      6
  23. This is not a reserve of City Universities anymore. A couple of years back (3 or 4), I had this schoolmate. A nice chap who knew how to his shoes (Converse and other nice hightops just as I like them). He was a cool kid and was ever on headphones and writing songs. A bit more life on Campus he started having issues. Not paying rent and borrowing money from other students though he was not badly off.

    At the third year, he got into a business of selling cookies, I guess weed cookies and he abandoned schoolwork. A couple of us also did small businesses but academics were given priority.

    He was to later confirm he does drugs as we were chatting. That should have been my cue to do something but I didn’t. I probably should feel bad about it but I have not given it a thought until now.

    Did he graduate with us? NO! Did he finish college? I am not sure. I guess I was an acquaintance than a friend.

    I should have done something about it but I didn’t.

    1
  24. This has reminded me of my primary school classmate we met again in Nairobi. As the first up and close case of alcoholism I was seeing, I was naively optimistic of rescuing him. My nightmare of failure was a firsthand lesson on the monster that is drug addiction. To go check on his body at city mortuary and call his mother upcountry remains one of my most gutting experiences. I hope the Boy turns round from his descent to Hell. Godspeed!

    2
  25. so touching. reminds me of all those temptations we went through in campus. just thanking God money was gold there. rarely found and the little was treasure not worthy of luxuries of drugs and stuff. nice read Biko.

    2
  26. I’m sitting here thinking about my almost 2 year old son.

    Such a sad story. This Boy is a good kid. Well mannered. He just fell off his path. He seems to want more in life and be better. I pray that he finds the strength to stay off drugs.

    8
  27. Jeez! I really think I know nothing too Biko, and as a mother of three….boys (teen, preteen and ‘single digiter’) it worries me sick to the uterus!!
    This piece is such an eye opener. To me.

    I sure do pray that the boy turns out alright , and his that mom’s loving care and support wins the day .

    6
  28. As a parent this is very sad, i can imagine the mother’s agony. this is real and can happen right under your nose. were having some prayer points in my church and coincidentally today we are praying for our learning institutions, drugs and substance abuse, now even more i know the direction to take with my prayers. That aside i wish the boy well, i pray he gets the determination to stay clean and an objective for his life. I wish i knew any support group for the mum…

    10
  29. I’m glad someone actually shed some light on this. We’re living in some very weird times. The millenial child (Lil Pump is 17) is indulging in some modern day drugs that parents would have no whiff of(literally). The repetitive mentioning of these drugs in song lyrics(Trap Music) doesn’t help either; casually talking about cocaine, lean (sizzurp, purpledrank), molly(MDHD), percocets, adderrall, xanax, etc makes me shiver, It’s getting out of hand and especially because in our beloved 3rd world country, ignorance and negligence prowls like Lil Pump’s tiger. Most of these will be over-the-counter drugs and while some might be presciption only, we’re a money first country and in most cases the pharmacist won’t even flinch while selling the drugs.

    Parents should stay woke, the same way you’re quick to be a WebMedic and you diagnose stuff quickly once you see certain symptoms, research on these modern drugs; slang names, symptoms/effects, images, variations etc.

    I wouldn’t really blame the kids in fact all of us went through that experimental age. Theirs is just a little bit advanced, confused and different.

    God help us.

    15
    1. I blame trap music to some level. These drugs are mentioned heavily on trap music which isn’t the kind of hiphop those born in the ’80s can relate too. In the ’80s and ’90s artists criticized drugs like crack and you were considered whack if you used it. Fast forward to 2018 these drugs are glorified by the same artists he listens to and probably looks up to. I blame these lip whatevers for making it look cool to use them.

      2
  30. If this is what happens today in campuses(because it is actually happening) what does the future hold for younger generation? The list of drugs just keeps increasing!The “trap life,” usually experienced at the the beginning of ones campus life,is a slippery slope to other addictions that prove difficult to get out of even by ones own will power.Sometimes its only God who can save an addict if he/she is willing to change.

    2
  31. I asked the boy what he’s doing to stay clean and he said, “Been making sure that I don’t have any money in my pocket.” This is such an honest answer, I was not ready… I was expecting to read exercise, staying away from my old friends etc. All I can say is ‘Boy, take it one day at a time. Recovery, just like everything in life is a journey and not a destination that we’re all somehow, someway involved in.’ And to his mother, thank you for not ostracizing him and making the difficult decisions that have come with it.
    Ps. This is an “us” thing!! You see your neighbour’s teenager smoking, you read that.child the riot act and nip it in the bud!!

    2
  32. My heart goes out to this mother and I pray her son recovers. Drug abuse is real in our country and families. I lost my dad to alcoholism in June 2015 at 60yrs. The sudden deaths you hear where someone sleeps and never woke up-we knew it because in October of 2014 we had taken him to a doctor who said he should stop since his vitals were not ‘so badly off and could recover’. He never quit. So his system just shut off coz they don’t eat. My small brother turns 32 in Feb-an alcoholic and drug addict with a nursing diploma-has lost three jobs and been to rehab twice and back to my mother’s house two years now doing nothing. I picture this mother in the same distress as my mother. We never grew up with that kind of money so sometimes it’s just choices. Very painful.

    12
  33. I hit pause on reading this to Google Lil pump and get a feel of what I was “missing”. To think I didn’t even know a drug like Purple Drank existed and is so easily available scares the hell out of me!

  34. It’s a sad state of events that affecting majority of our universities. I’ve watched friends get wasted in drugs all in the name of trying to fit in. It’s high time we start thinking of how to stop drug peddling within the campus…chemists should equally have strict guidelines guiding their operations

    1
  35. wooooiii this generation…I miss the old good days it was much easier and simpler.To think that this could be my son makes me want to cry for that mother.Something needs to be done in our unis.kama c kuoana ni drugs cjui strikes.Aki we need help from God alone now.I will surely pray for the boy and mum the rest we leave to God to intervene & talk to our Kids.

    1
  36. when I read ‘to go to go to school’i thought I was high on that stuff.But really,one time time in campus I slept through an exam after taking benylin.The irony is it was ‘prescribed’by my mother as a cough syrup.And I can’t stop thinking what if at one point the boys mother did the same,innocently?

  37. This story is so close to home…
    This tragedy now knows no class, social status, religious upbringing, environment. It has encompassed the society in so valiantly, it is a national disaster. An entire generation and more is at risk.

    6
  38. Tragic story told with so much humour. When I was beginning drugs experimentation my father insisted no dragged me to church with him. When I got there I reckoned I might as well enjoy the service. I still remember the sermon today because it saved me. The theme was “Stupidity”.
    The boy sounds so helpless and lost the father in me feels frightened for him and that precipice that he is standing at. Is there salvation for him and his mother? It is scary. His strategy is going to fail sooner rather than later as his mother fears and that is so so SCAAARY. He sounds like a reasonable kid but lacking direction and he is hungry for something (what he doesn’t know – someone help him discover it) but not uni.
    Biko are you going to be the father figure for him? I feel that that is what he needs – point him in the right direction and help him stay the course. Please?

    3
  39. “A friend of mine walks over to say hello. I stand to hug her and when I turn to introduce The Boy I find he was already on his feet, like a gentleman. He stands until the lady leaves. I found that very, very strange and confusing, these good manners. On one hand is a boy listening to someone say they fuck a bitch and forget their name, and would never buy them a no wedding ring and on the other hand he’s got the breeding to stand up when a lady comes to his table.” <<– that made me smile.

    Truly heartbreaking. I hope he wins the battle and is able to in turn be an inspiration and a source of hope for his peers.

    1
  40. As a mother to a boy…. I just realized this is so real, it’s happening out there and it really scares to the bones. When you think you know your son, he is under control…yet you barely know him. #HeavySigh

    2
  41. As a mother to a boy…. I just realized this is so real, it’s happening out there and it really scares me to the bones. When you think you know your son, he is under control…yet you barely know him. #HeavySigh

    2
  42. My heart goes out to the mother, I empathize with her being a mother to a Teen. May God stretch his healing hand upon The Boy and rescue him from this demon, drug addiction.

    2
  43. Oh My !! Am in campus too but the conservative type,,, wishing the Boy recovery, he should try learning a new skill and maybe change his circle of friends, sending love to such souls undergoing addictions,, may you find yourself…

    Alafu hapo kwa rent ya 27k !! Wah hiyo ni mob kushinda fee ya sem moja,, from where I school though…

    4
  44. The mother must be very strong. I feel like I would have lost it! but she handles it with such grace… Praying for her and for him. May he really recover and stay clean. They say ‘recovering addicts’ to help them know that they can slip at any tim; maybe that is the first thing he should admit too.

    May he get the strength to do it for himself. God help our young people.

    1
  45. “He has a thread necklace with a metallic pendant of the Eiffel Tower. I wondered if it had a significance and I asked him, what it was. And he – fiddling with the pendant, had said deadpan, “This is the Eiffel Tower.” No shit.” This cracked me up!

    Scary stuff though, my kid bro is struggling with alcohol, keeps relapsing.

    ION, Too many errors Biko, editors sleeping on the job.

    1
  46. This is utterly shocking. It scares me on behalf of my younger sister and cousins, and as a future parent. Is this what they do at campus nowadays? it’s just early 2016 when I left school after 6 years of toiling, and when we meet up with my campus mates we think that we had adventure, but I thank God that it was naive adventure. We knew nothing. am glad we knew nothing.

    am still shocked some things exist and some people know how to use them.

    GOD HELP OUR YOUNG GENERATION!

    1
  47. My heart is in pieces. I grief for the world my son will grow up in and the worst part is my helplessness at the situation. Like standing before a tsunami.

  48. First, thank you for this piece Biko. Your writing is masterful – no wasted words… Then you made The Boy so human, so real I feel like I know several of “him” already. I’m praying for his mother, for our sons and daughters… You’ve schooled us today. Thank you.

    1
  49. Full of humor, yet so sad.
    I hope he gets the strength to remain atop the cliff until he’s no longer interested In standing there anymore and walks away, he could start by dumping lil pump’s music as that’s where it all started.

    Also, Biko actually took up the idea of interviewing us youngins too :). I hope there’ll be more.

    1
  50. When Biko was the boy’s age, he used to listen to Shai, “If I ever fall in love” and now there is Lil Pump, “dont remember the bitch’s name!

    2
  51. Full of humor, yet so sad.
    I hope he gets the strength to remain atop the cliff until he’s no longer interested In standing there anymore and walks away; he could start by dumping lil pump’s music as that’s where it all started.

    Also, Biko actually took up the idea of interviewing us youngins too :). I hope there’ll be more.

  52. Hey Biko, I, like yourself, had never hear of this Lil Pump Musician. I thought you had made him up, so I Youtubed. Kumbe this stuff is frighteningly real. I’m terrified at what our kids are listening to!!! Thanks for highlghting this.
    Cheers, Bro.

    1
  53. Walala!!!!!…the number of things i have googled… Lil Pump, codeine and promethazine,trap house….etc…..

    This totally breaks my heart. I pray he recovers.

    1
    1. Codein is the stuff Dr. House in the series House is hooked on.He dewcribes it to be the stuff that is as strong as cocaine without the kick.

  54. Story of my life. I relate to everything written here. This has hit home hard. I would wish to atleast talk to him.

    1
  55. I am not trying to judge anyone but boy child also needs a father figure in his life. Maybe surround them with men who have made it in life, could be their father, uncle a close family friend. Just involve male figures in their life as much as possible

    1. *sigh* this is a tired argument. I know of a boy who got hooked on hard drugs in campus and his father and elder bro are very present. His mother is also present so let us stop using this as a way of justifying things. The boy is addicted and both his parents need to step up and help him.

      4
  56. I am also in the same group of people who dont know anything. Who are those musicians? As a parent to boy and girl, I think its a high time I Researched on this things so they dont get me off guard. This is an eye opener.

  57. Its scary for the boy, the struggle to keep off drugs is one that is always difficult… The boy represents just too many youths out here who are struggling with drugs and substance addiction and the journey towards… My heart goes out to him and his family. All will work out… and he will go places.

    2
  58. I am young not young like the said boy but then again am no Biko. I am amazed of the at the thirst of drugs and apparelled that anything can be a drug. I really feel for the said boy and mom

  59. This is something happening in all private unis in kenya, the public ones too. They ride on the wave of it being cool. Believe me this isn’t something that started the other day, back in campo we tried syrup(2010) and other crazy drugs.. Sad thing is that some of my pals ended up going to rehab or dropping out of school. There should be a mandatory drug use course when one is enroled in this post secondary institutions

    3
  60. Out here in campus the allure of drugs is so strong, they are everywhere, It is most unlikely that your kid will pass through the system without trying at least one and this generation likes experimenting. Sometimes you just try stuff for fun and unfortunately you get hooked. Another bad thing is we always think we can handle almost everything .

  61. Wow, one of the saddest writings I have come across…the wanton abandon with which one can waste away; we wish the Mother all the best, we pray for strength for the Boy. Lesson, don’t start, when you start, you are finished…or very likely…

    2
  62. As a mother, I am filled with sadness as I read this. My daughter is only 6months old, imagine when she will be a teenager. ….However, there is hope, I also happen to work with Parents from all walks of life, rich, poor, those that inject drugs, child headed homes, grandma headed homes, you name it and over the years there is one thing I have learnt, that children are like a sponge, in my class I will say, mtoto ni kama mattress, ukikojolea inakunywa hadi itosheke kable ya kumwagika chini.

    The formative years of a child, 0-8 determine what they are most likely to be, even if the veer of the right path, they never go to far. The subject of the story will not go too far because his formative years seem solid. All his mother and father need to do is to make him their friend, talk, laugh, be honest and provide guidance.As a mother you must also pray for your children, christian, muslin, hindi, you must pray for them.

    I also happen to be a USIU graduate, class of 2011, and what kept me inline was constant monitoring by both my parents. Dad would make impromptu visits to school, check my grades and then invite me to lunch. At lunch we would have lengthy discussions on everything, boys, grades, money, books I have read, he has read, there was no discussion that was off limits. I was his friend and he was mine. Infact one holiday I asked them to get me an apartment so that i would move away from the hostels, I assumed they would say yes and ask me to find a house, shock on me, one evening dad walked home and handed over some keys to me, he said he had gone house hunting in Roysambu, found a place, paid for it, had it cleaned, put in the blubs and locked it in readiness for my moving in. He also helped move in and would visit me whenever he was in town , with shopping, what I remember vividly , he would bring me radox shower gel and good bobdy lotion, those would not miss in my shopping, I love that brand to date.Just so you know my home town is Kisumu.

    Parenting is a lifetime responsibility, UNI or not, keep a close eye on your children, married, single, widowed, they will remain your children, you have the responsibility to guide them

    40
  63. I know friends and family who start up on drugs at age 12 or 14 and the parents have no idea about it to date. All they say is my kid just takes beer when we are all in house or out drinking. This kids lock themselves in their rooms..smoking up, drinking and to most parents their kids are just growing up. Probably adolesence or learning to be alone. I love this mom for making the effort to try and save her child before he ends up 6feet under…all drugges up.

    1
  64. Back then I was cramming the effects of drug abuse in my CRE lessons to pass exams and later in life I have witnessed first hand that those points in my CRE standard 8 are true. Drug addiction is real.

    1
  65. The Boy is brave for admitting to going for counseling at USIU. During my time there, that place was deserted. No one wanted to be seen going in (stigma). If your pals saw you leaving that place you had to clarify you were there for career stuff not counseling.
    There are experts, in Chemical Dependency (under Psychology Department), at USIU. Parents should propose to have a counsellor, at the counselling center, trained in chemical dependency. Psychology alumni should also intervene. Good thing counseling is free.
    Rooting for The Boy! I hope and pray he doesn’t relapse.

    2
  66. This explains why

    I recently heard that cough syrup with codeine will not be sold over the counter if you don’t have prescription from a doctor

  67. so touching in the end, drug addiction should be highly addressed. its not only affecting university students but it extends even to class 8 dropouts

  68. This is a sad fact, of how promising youths get lost in drugs taking.Kudos to the mom for trying to help. Am praying that the guys resolve and efforts to steer clear from drugs pays off.

    1
  69. I am literally shaking thinking about my bro who is in school right now and may be exposed to this kind of stuff. All I can do is pray because even if I forward this article to him, he might or might not have alreadly embarked on this journey. Let me stop been paranoid and just hope for the best as I google Lil Pump and 21 Savage then later call my bro flossing about how I know these hiphop dudes only to find a way to ask if he knows this s*** or not. This life is short and a sister must always love and protect her little brother.

    5
  70. …Have to comment today…

    fair enough its an unfortunate state of affairs Biko, but crucify me if need be….my question is, Do parents play a role in the way their children end up? I mean, why was he in a 27k apartment – shared or otherwise – in campus? Did I read that the mum came with a truck to move him back home? That’s a well furnished place I would like to think..

    TOO comfortable! As teenagers or young adults, parents should give us something(s) to strive toward. And also, drawing lessons from the Bible..Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)”Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

    I wish him well.

    3
  71. I’m a medical student yet still oblivious of the fact that these drugs are readily available.

    still the government has to put strict measures on prescription drugs. I told my boyfriend if I have a pharmacy or chemist in future people will have to produce written n signed prescriptions for prescription drugs…he says I won’t make profits but still people have to learn n be disciplined

    1
  72. “…We were getting better at this, improving the product. We would also get recommendations from our chemist lady on what other drugs would work…”

    I have re-read this post several times and as freaked out as I am, this right here, is what I don’t get. Yaani, someone who should be looking out for these kids is helping them on how to get higher! It’s indeed a broken world! smh…

    4
  73. This is such an eye opener. Unfortunately we live in times whereby we all choose to look the other way “not my monkey not my circus”, It’s the high time we change that narrative and go back to the days where a child was the communities responsibility……

    1
  74. My heart goes out to the mother, may God give her grace and wisdom. To the Boy may he be healed of the addiction!

    1
  75. This has broken my heart. I feel like I should go on my knees now for my kids and this boy. Oh Lord. May God help us and give us wisdom as we raise our children. I will purpose to pray for this family.

    2
  76. After struggling with anxiety for years, I finally saw a psychiatric. She is the one who introduced me to Stillnox and Lexotanil. I’m no longer afraid of waking at three am, scared and unable to breathe. I simply pop a pill, two, if it’s too much. I just wish there were some brilliant and capable doctors who don’t ask you to read Dr. Phil’s book. Trust me, I’ve looked. Maybe I’ll heal, but for now I’m high functioning and it feels nice to not feel too much.

    1
  77. My ” most trusted and responsible” nephew spent 4 years in the University & we only realized later that he was doing drugs! Following up we found out that he used the school fees which he was always given to pay for himself, to buy drugs. So in the four years the guy never attended any classes, he never graduated!

  78. I’d like to thank you so so much for educating us, your readers. Truly, I understood nothing about the hiphop culture and the exact depths to which it is affecting the young people. I just feel sad. Your post made me very thoughtful and very sad. Like: how can we change this? Because this is not something we can pray away. This needs actual intervention. On so many levels. Thank you for awakening awareness!

    1. Are you underestimating the power of prayer? Trust me, I’ve done drugs but not codeine or other chemically created ones. Just weed. But it’s still addicting. Mentally addictive.
      You get bored, you smoke. Get angry, smoke. Get stressed, smoke. Get happy, smoke to celebrate.
      But prayers are powerful. Christ breaks all fucking bonds! I know I’m completely free out of the prayers I’ve prayed. And my mom. Though she thinks I was the worst drug user in school. Still has no idea how much the world is influenced by these demonic oppressions.

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  79. Sad reality is that it is not just the kids or the youth. Many many adults are addicted to prescription drugs/medicine. No one says anything about it. All we worry about are people on Marijuana or cocaine or meth. And as a pharmacist friend of mine said, the doctors are in on it. They prescribe the drugs, knowing fully well that the patient is addicted to them.

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  80. Be the father that this boy needs Biko. Or better still, talk to your friend and ask him to put his shit together and be a father to his own son!

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  81. Reminiscent of my day’s in campus studying at KCA but living with USIU students long story short I never made it out, I had to drop out midway

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  82. Googled Lil Pump and thought, woooi, I pray that the young man finds direction.As for the mother my heart bleeds, may our God grants her ,her heart’s desire and the young man makes you proud.

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  83. Wah! I am shaken……There was a news item a month or so ago about leaders in one of the northern Kenya counties…Mandera or Wajir calling for a ban on codeine. Now I know why!

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  84. man! used to drink that stuff here in Houston in Kenyan clubs, but luckily we din’t need rehab, just Sunday lakewood

  85. People like The Boy are the reason why Jesus came.

    “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

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    1. common man,i mean dont take it seriously but I think Christ came for people like Hitler not a spoilt campus brat,he will get over it soon,you wait and hear from Biko.

  86. I had to google Lil Pump coz I never heard of the guy. The baddest(sic) rapper of our time was Lil Wayne with his Lollipop. This Lil Pump is pure evilness(sic). Came across lyrics to his song “Smoke My Dope” and its full of bad influence. If this is what our young people are listening to,then I bet we are about to lose a generation.

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    1. I had to google him too plus the the others , I was shocked. the baddest during our time was Shaba Ranks – he had lewd moves . The ills of our days were cigarettes and booze. Weed was considered for low-lives in the society. God help our kids

  87. When I first met him, I didn’t know that drugs were in his life. He was very nice. Saw me on the graduation pavilion shivering at 3am on a Saturday morning because the Mr. & Ms. Campus went on for too long and the hostel I stayed at has an 11pm curfew. Took me to the campus’ bar and kept me company the whole night as I dozed on a bedbug-infested sofa, and when we left at 6 on a dull rainy morning, wore the waterfall sweater I had on the previous night at church and let me have his warm leather jacket. I had social anxiety back then so we didn’t meet up, just communicated through texts. He was funny, charming, and smart as a whip. Met him once coming from celebrating Jesus’ memorial. He smelled so strongly of weed you’d think he works at a weed factory. Didn’t know he was going for some more weed at the PS shop opposite campus gates. He gardly remembered the encounter. Invited me over to his house for lunch one day. Nice, big house. Great food. Shisha bong at the living room corner. Alcohol bottles under the kitchen sink, on the kitchen cupboards. But he was so smart, you’d think he just dablles a little in the weed and the shisha, like most campus guys. Only knew it was a problem when he got 5 Es in one semester. Then when he dropped out of school. Then went to rehab. Later on found out he’s been doing coke, bath salts, ecstasy, codeine, you name it, he used it. I didn’t even know these things were sold in Kenya smfh. Came out of rehab changed, positive about life, with a life schedule. Changed schools. Went to five AA and DA meetings a week. Then relapsed the first time. Then got arrested the second time. Went silent on WhatsApp for a week because he thought that if he indulged for the last time, in a big way, he’d stop having cravings. He was wrong. You’re told addiction is a disease, like diabetes. If someone relapses, it’s like if the meds for diabetes aren’t working, and that’s not his fault. But mahn it’s hard when you l don’t know when he might. It’s hard to love someone when the unrational part of your brain keeps telling you that he should’ve gotten his shit together already.

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    1. Barbara. Stay away. Love hurts but trust me loving an addict will leave you in a far worse place than you can ever imagine. Stick closely to the path you were on its the only way to find true happiness.

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  88. Thank you for shedding light on this issue Biko. It is so hard to even start to imagine that this is the kind of stuff my little brother may experience. It breaks my heart.

    Gosh! Where did we go wrong?

  89. This is ME.
    I did drugs in Uni, dropped out of Uni ( though later rejoined), went to Rehab.
    First, I did it for my parents But later realized that it wouldn’t work with that mindset.
    I’m Now 7 plus years Sober and still working one day at a time.
    Biko, If you’ll read this Advise the Youngman to get in touch with the support groups (They must have been told about them in Rehab).
    Rehab is just a First Aid. Real Treatment and recovery happens after Rehab.

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  90. Well there are many quotes I would copy and paste because this whole piece is amazing and so relatable. I keep on wondering why the drug culture is such a fancy to some people if they already know it’s harmful and after reading this I’ve seen the beauty of knowing the other side and it makes so much sense to me now. But I really love the mum’s attitude.

    She says. “I think I might just go back to school and study a course that can help people with addiction because I have looked everywhere for someone to help him and they are so few and far apart!” – parents are a constant reminder of the beauty of caring and supporting even when none is being rendered back to the giver. Their patience is so admirable. This is so true and a very overwhelming piece. I always believe that life is too beautiful, heck it deserves constant cherishing.

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  91. Someone had to talk about it…… I saw this coming. It’s crazy….. Come to USIU environs on Thursday evening, outside tortillas club, many big cars close to a hundred. All playing loud music. With students in and some out of the cars, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, fondling with ladies, some having sex in the cars yaaani ……as a parent I almost shed tears. A drastic action is needed!

  92. Lil pump i have listened to, that song is really catchy to be honest. 21 savage as well. This OTC drug addiction and usage has been popularized by the said musicians, look into the lil uzi verts, post malones, 6IX9INE and XXXTENTACION…. all those are new age rappers, they praise the drug life and actually live it. their songs are in gibberish, slurred and you can tell they hit the studio high on that lean, i.e purple drank. I can relate to this story, i have had friends get really hooked on the stuff, its a hard nut to crack. The abusing of codeine, anti depressants, general anesthesia, morphine and legally acquired opioids is in thing. Trust me, its a worldwide phenomena, ages between 15 and 25 most affected, its a culture of the gentrification of drug abuse. i really hope the lad gets over it… and you parents need to stop giving your kids stacks of cash for pocket money, the idle time, plus the peer influence and the means combined is a recipe for disaster.

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  93. Your comment*perhaps it all happened too soon.and he only needed a good man to show him the “way”. life is a series of choices and dreams we have for ourselves. perhaps he dint know how how to ride on them n now he knows.

  94. This is a gut wrenching account of what has become our sad reality. Reading this as a parent of teenagers to be, it scares me stiff. As parents, we sweat to give children the best in life, but sometimes they will just get wayward due to corrupt company and experimentations of youth . It happened in our time, and is still happening but in shocking magnitudes. These youngsters can outwit you especially when they cover up their acts with misleading innocence. I agree that strong support systems ought to be created by non than other us, This is not something that can be simply wished away. As for the dealers that sell prescription drugs to our young ones without batting an eyelid, your actions will catch up with sooner rather than later. What goes round comes round

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  95. So many heartbreaks. First, it is the pharmacist who suggests what drugs the kids should use for their high then the counsellor who sleeps with the addict she should be helping, my God! It is a rotten world. What is scarier is how drugs are so readily available and the fact that kids in this city are taking drugs like food.

  96. Truly heartbreaking. I pray for strength and will for quitting completely to our brother and perseverance to the mother and all parents facing this monstrous anguish. I say a special prayer to all the youth, sisters, brothers, relatives and friends in this whirlwind of youthfulness. Any soul at any age struggling with addiction may God surpass their desire for it and grant them wisdom and strength to get their life back. In Jesus name. Amen.

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  97. This sounds all to familiar. This life made me almost drop out of campus in my 3rd year and were it not for my mother’s unconditional love and more so patience…God knows. She gave me a second chance…
    Purple Drank/ Dirty Sprite/Lean/Codeine/Sizzurp…name it…is a big problem in our campuses….all of them no exceptions. The fact that these drugs are readily bought OTC with no prescription means that the problem is not about to go away. Some students taking medicine-related courses are also make good plugs. It is insane when you think of it.

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  98. I have never heard of any of those artists and it just resonated that this is the world my son is growing in, and i’m scared to think that he may be affected by the same ills.
    This is good writing Biko, at least now we know what signs to look out for even though the solution is so hard to come by.

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  99. No words can express the depth of this story Biko.It is so deep man.On a lighter note though there is this ka sentence ”He was in inmate, as they were called.” that left me confused.I think the term was ”an” instead of ”in” but coming from a writer with your capacity,you might have changed the rules in your Masterclasses,you never know.

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  100. I think am old… I should get me a wife and raise them kids! If this is whats happening in this town, holly shit! And to imagine in the US prescription meds are hard to get! In Kenya you can buy a sack load over the counter, no questions asked!
    Doing drugs isn’t cool…

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  101. Biko really??
    Chicken sandwich.
    You could have said KDF.
    That is what i can relate to.
    Campus life was nice but it all needed self control.

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  102. Popping pills is a huge thing. They are not like blunts that cops can know what you’ve got. I stopped mixing pills and drinks too because of blackouts, in one blackout I almost fought with my mum. I had to change courses. Well my way of staying clean is having naive friends. They probably think of drinking which I can handle,or cigarettes or weed. The rest only spoiled brats know. I’ve also had a trap house in my hostel. Being arrested by cops, maybe I will have a great story when I finish.

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  103. Deadly Man. Always enjoyed the hangover your stories leave me with. The lad will turn out well because, “youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handler” – the mother is definitely doing a good job.

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  104. Life has always been choices wrong ones depicts a lifeless future right ones brightens instead…., am sorry for the mom……… Change is inevitable a move by the boy can bring him back on track

  105. A thought-provoking read. I don’t think his addiction has anything to do with the absence of a father figure, otherwise kids from two-parent families wouldn’t be affected, right?
    There is hope for the boy, so much hope since he has already crossed the bridge of denial.
    Self-awareness is a big part of recovery. He has admitted he has a problem and is attempting to tackle it in his own way. The no-cash strategy means that he has identified a major weakness in himself, and is denying it the power it once held.
    Most importantly, he has a mum who loves him and wants to walk the long, hard, lonely road with him. Bless them both.

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  106. I went through this with my son, he went to rehab stayed clean for some time then went back in when he got a job, he had since lost the job and back home… we need a rehab for drugs only they use the Alcohol recovery program in the Rehab’s I took my son it only works upto a point, the drugs are a bit more different…

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  107. Reading this made me want to cry. It reminds me of someone who is absolutely brilliant but his life is wasting away. I wish there was something I could do 🙁

  108. Brings sadness to my heart, i pray he finds a way to stay clean and remain clean. My friend’s bro lost the fight and now am scared for our kids. Its a sad state of affair.

  109. I was here sometime back. My story is somehow similar to his.Biko hook me up with this boy I help him refocus his life. Please email me.

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  110. Maybe the music that is played on the Kenyan airwaves should be magically filtered and adequate restrictions enforced! Otherwise how do we help this generation after all has been said and done,and after all has been said and sung? MCSK COME UP WITH STHN PLEASE!!!!

  111. It’s stories like this, no, REALITIES like this that make me want to spend every waking minute telling my 8 & 2 year old how this world is full of vices and virtues, and how we have to choose which ones to pick, and how we will live with the consequences of the choices that we make.
    Parenting truly doesn’t come with a manual. You are never really prepared for the choices your children make, especially the bad ones! Sigh
    One step at a time. In the mean time, let us as parents do as much as we can and more.

  112. There is nothing that breaks my heart than seeing a young person just throwing away their lives for drugs…I have seen a few friends of mine going down this road but I guess 4years in campus is just enough to turn a life around…a good number of them are now doing well I guess..though struggling but I know they will be just fine.We are about to graduate.

  113. I have an older, only brother. He is an alcoholic, but glad to say these days the drinking has subsided. He would wake my parents who are both hypertensive at the 3 AM. They wouldn’t get a wink of sleep worried sick of his whereabouts.
    They had tried everything in the book apart from rehab; unaffordable.
    Why the drinking has gone down, well the simple reason he doesn’t get as much money as he previously used to.

  114. Things we take for granted. The trappings that are in the institutions of higher learning scares the hell out of me. I am scared as well for my daughter. But i know getting scared will save no man. Understanding this generation is a hard task. They live in their own world. They only understand themselves. The young man needs direction. And a man figure in his life. May God see them through.

  115. Hmmm…I’m shaken…I’m 5 months into being a parent and trust me when I say that what I’m thinking right now is not what I would have thought had I read this before I became a parent. I’m thinking, this is the reality that most parents have to deal with…I mean,this could be me in a few years…I’m putting myself in that mother’s shoes..and I regret if I have ever judged any parent for their child’s behavior…or judged their decision to do or not to do what they did regarding their child’s behavior…it’s a difficult reality when you have to worry each day about the well being and whereabouts of your child,not knowing whether he/she will make the right choices, choose the right friends, follow the right path…No parent is immune, as no child is immune(because,of course,we cannot always make their choices for them)…we are just forced to hope for better and pray about it…Becoming a mother involves dealing with fears you never knew existed…but all I hope for me and for that mother is that, ‘It shall be well.’

  116. We are truly living in very sad times. Majority of my Generation X are either alcohol addicts, in denial of addiction or affected by it and we now have to deal with the brutal reality of our children’s addiction to pills and alcohol. In my opinion, the major factor leading to these addictions is the complete dysfunction of the family unit. Parenting doesn’t come with a manual but if parents could strive to improve on communication in the family; appreciate, approve, inspire, motivate and be actively involved in their children’s life especially in the teenage/early adult phase and get rid of the consoling thought that money can fix it all or being too high-handed, there would be less drug abuse and addiction in this world.
    I pray for a time that we as individuals will care more about ourselves, treat our bodies well, care about how our actions and behavior affect the people in our lives and strive to do better.
    I wish the The Boy and all those struggling with addiction the strength and willpower to conquer this nasty brain trick.

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  117. i feel for this mguy,so sad. I hope he recovers completely and continues with school.Good read Biko, very relatable for a university student like me.

  118. This is real and it’s happening but I’d advice that you get over your shock and get to working on this drug addiction issue.
    Reach out to those around you.
    Burying our heads in the sand won’t make it go away just like we’ve done with sex amongst the youth.
    I don’t mean to be rude but God won’t come down and command the addiction out of one’s life.
    One has to have the WILL POWER,SUPPORT & LOVE from all those around him.

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  119. This is today’s harsh reality , purple drink..pill parties .breaks my heart when I read this, my small bro has been an addict for 8 years now. Sad that these drugs are readily available at the chemist, kids in high school and primary carry this drink to school.

  120. We all know the uni you’re speaking of…peer pressure is real & the truth is that we all (most of us) experiment in campus ; some of us outgrow it, others don’t. But i know it’s not that cut & dried – those with ‘addictive personalities’ are in for it.

  121. The good old days when we’d sip some of dads johny walker and top up with water! Just like someone said in the comments here that weed was left to the lowlifes – not that i’m being condescending here but that was the school of thought back then. This scourge is an equal opportunity one where it does not matter your race, creed , religion, financial background or anything else. Sadly, drugs are illegal but very difficult to police or control,, especially the new ones whereby you cannot detect them by smell or known urine sampling….. We have the 40’s people addicted to legal highs i.e alcohol which is also very damaging to almost every organ in the body and our youngsters now want immediate gratification hence the newfound drugs of choice. No one has any answers really because it all a blame game…. what if the father figure was around, the chemist is crooked, the police aren’t doing enough, the uni’s play a part, peer pressure, rehab costs money and are geared for alcohol addiction etc etc
    I would try teach my kids the way and if they fall foul, I would offer support til the very end but keep in mind the drink driving that kills you before your liver gives up or kills someone else who has never taken alcohol, drugs or smoked! A drink/drug driver is the most evil of people as they can ram into your innocent child whilst under the influence. Responsibility and sensibility are sadly lacking in these days of our lives….. then that person will be bleating in court about their own crap that made them get behind the wheel of a killer vehicle without any remorse. its become a me me me world and not a community where people look out for each others children. Sad but more to come.
    Kudos to the mum for trying her best as a parent would for a child…………….

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  122. Please complete this cause it stirred up my emotions and left them hanging. It’s a really good read and I’d love to get more of it.

  123. Simply amazing righting, and it’s sad what is going on among us the millenials and the music we listen to only aggravates the situation.

  124. Biko…this is just alooooot to digest…Am a mother…to a boy…in form 2…is this whats awaits him in Uni? Am sooo scared…..

  125. Your comment*I called my daughter after reading this post, she’s a fresher (different uni). I was really scared and started imagining all sorts of things… anyway, parenting is HARD! Just when you think you can rest easy thinking they are all grown, you realize you are far from the finishing line. I can only say be friends with your kids, know what they are up to, the trends, the company, the music, yes, trap music which I happen to enjoy some of, though I confess I had no idea who lil pump was. If you try to bring yourself to their level, maybe there is a chance you can help them make better choices. I pray this young man finds his saving grace, and that his mother finds peace.

  126. My young brother is going through the same thing and is now out of school. Reading this I now thankfully know he can recover.

  127. This drugs maneno is trouble with a capital T .
    Think Ezekiel Mutua should ban Lil Wayne and all those brrr songs … He he just kidding but seriously we need intervention the ASAP.
    At least his mum came through I hope he stays clean must be tough being parent, folks don’t be too quick to judge anybody’s kid can get hooked.

  128. As a student ,it breaks my heart ,but i want to remind all dads to watch a movie called couragous ,.We children especially boys,we did a dad who can be a role model to us,a dad i look up to ,a dad who is a friend ,a can watch epl with .sometimes we do things in a confusion of wanting to belong somewhere ,we are so scared inside but on the outside we look like we have a path .
    For my fellow student you got this ,you have the heart to change its a step closer to success.
    Good read biko kudos

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  129. Sometimes doing something because you don’t want to dissapoint your mum is good enough. The mum should keep persisting and being their for him. I’m in campus and we face the same challenges only that in public Uni we don’t have so much money at our disposal. For my friends and i school clubs, outdoor adventures and traveling keeps us busy.

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  130. This is the sad reality of what happens in campus. My brother has a similar case. We had to pull him out from campus due to poor or non-perfomance due to missed classes.
    He’s been to several counselling sessions and rehab admissions. But we’ve not given up on him yet and after several attempts we can slowly see change in him.
    To those who feel their kids or siblings are not worth the help, please don’t give up as yet, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

  131. This is such a sad read. I pray the boy gets a turn around moment. Its never too late to change and make something out of his life.

  132. I see hope , there are many more out there like him that need change. We as the society need to help out, reach out to them. some of are just lonely that’s why they turn to drugs. I think it would also be nice if he made new friends , people who dont even do drugs because he cant be busy the whole time we all need a break at some point.

  133. This is one of the best reads I have ever come across. I am a student at JKUAT and I have to admit, the situation is no different here. Been here for a year and the rate of drug abuse I have witnessed shocks me. Parents should start being involved in their children’s lives and make sure they know what exactly their kids are doing with the money they give them. Otherwise it will all end up being a lost cause to take your kid to campus.

  134. So i believe it’s a phase that few stand to see light,.this is just a case of little felt little discovered… Deep is to be felt on the first cut,a victim!! I am so I conccur!
    Explicit, lets document for future!

  135. This made me relieve campus majorly.I have lived around TRM Drive and this is the daily reality.I am glad I moved away from that mess .Parents need to be more involved with us young adults.Its’s crazy out here.

  136. That’s the saddest story I have ever read! May the Lord protect our children, may we raise them right according to His ways and most importantly may the Lord guide them in this jungle called life to make the right decisions and say No to Drugs!

  137. Biko, your tales are all so funny. Even the sad ones.
    I read and was aghast, then sad, then, wait a minute…?
    Aren’t the youth always in a place removed from parents that parents cannot read or recognise who their children are? Isn’t that part of their job description?
    Didn’t Adam and Eve do it to their “dad”?
    Didn’t Cain run riot and commit homicide?
    Jacob lying to his father?
    Simba as a young kid did stupid stuff, enabling Mufasa to take over the Pridelands.
    Our parents had “free love” and all the hippie movement.
    In our youth we discovered where to get the best toivo in the slims, get mandrax tablets, changaa and weed.
    We all did.
    Technology has made the search and find easier for this generation, but its basically the same story.
    Self discovery, risks, (some will fall by the wayside) and finally, we all “grow up”
    Acting surprised about kids taking drugs is as honest as acting surprised to hear that FIFA is a corrupt body!
    Parent well(active parenting), share parenting in the community (my neighbour’s kids are my kids and visa versa), and PRAY.
    Everyday PRAY.

  138. Biko, I really looked for this story having read it 2 years ago. I suddenly have this chilly nagging feeling of wondering how The Boy ended up. Would you know how he is doing?

  139. I’m only reading this story now. I’m a recovering alcoholic and ďrug addict been sober 21 years now. My drug of choice was pharmaceuticals. The rehabs in Kenya are mostly a joke. If that were my son, and I tell this to my boys all the time, I would take him to SA for a minimum of six months. Preferably a year. Or three, where he can do college from a halfway house. At the stage he is at, only that can help. To paraphrase the book of Alcoholics Anonymous, remember we deal with (drugs) cunning, baffling, powerful. I talk to my kids all the time about alcohol and drugs. They know my story. I’m honest about it. That’s important.