Rattled by the increasing number of their compatriots going to prison for various criminal activities, Kenyans living in Minnesota, USA, have convened an urgent meeting in two weeks to deliberate on how the community can salvage its badly damaged image.
A number of Kenyan men have been arrested and charged with raping their daughters. There have also been cases of wife battery and killings. These incidents have outraged Kenyans and immigrants from other countries, as well as indigenous Americans.
Simon Nyakweba was arrested last week for allegedly raping his daughter, aged 13. Nyakweba is being held in prison without bond.
Two Kenyan immigrants facing different rape charges have been spending time in prison, after they failed to raise Sh40 million bail.
Thomas Osebe, who had just graduated with a BSc in Nursing in Bloomington, Minnesota, was charged with raping his two underage daughters.
Robert Tabaka was also detained for raping an underage girl.
Families and friends of the suspects have failed to raise the bond amounts.
These cases have sent social media in Minnesota and other neighbouring States into frenzy.
SAVAGE CITY
Most of these incidents are more prevalent in a city called Savage City. Savage City has curiously lived up to the notoriety of its name.
Situated on the southern bank of the Minnesota River, and in a region commonly referred to as South of the River, Savage City has become the hotbed of savage and barbaric crimes, ranging from sexual violence, including incest, to domestic violence.
The region (Savage City) comprises the southern portion of Minneapolis-St Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. The population of Savage was 26,911 at the 2010 census, according to government statistics posted online.
“This is tragic,” said one exasperated Kenyan who requested anonymity for fear of retribution from fellow Kenyan immigrants, who prefer not to condemn cases of lawlessness whenever they break out in Minnesota.
While it should be appreciated that there is a very successful and vibrant Kenyan community in Savage City, a few outlaws have stolen the show, engaging in sex crimes, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse.
Young Kenyan males who’ve witnessed domestic violence and drunkenness have drifted from their studies to focus on destructive behaviour.
DEPORTEE'S IMPUNITY
A Kenyan lawyer in Minneapolis told me a bad example was set when a former lawyer who had become a serial criminal in the State was elected a deputy governor after he was deported from USA.
The former lawyer had become a jailbird, forcing the authorities in Minnesota to lock a human tracker on him because of his notoriety of engaging in domestic violence, DUIs and reckless driving.
“When the voters in a western Kenya county elected this deported convicted criminal into the high office of deputy governor, the message young people, and indeed, even grown-ups get, is that crime pays, especially if you’re living in Kenya,” said the lawyer, who requested anonymity to avoid antagonising his potential clients.
“This man was a notorious criminal in the twin cities of St Paul and Minneapolis. After American authorities realised he was incorrigibly delinquent, a decision was made to deport him some time in 2009.
“He arrived in western Kenya (leaving behind his wife and three children) at a time the country was gearing up for a new constitution with devolved units. We saw him declare himself a candidate for governor but later on settled on deputy governor, and he has been elected twice.
“The message that sends to Kenyans out here and at home is being a criminal is an added advantage of appealing to the electorate.”
Interestingly, a number of Kenyan men who contributed on the forum Mwanyangetinge condemned their fellow Kenyans, criticising the barbaric behaviour of sex predators targeting their own daughters.
Some directed their anger at the American police, whom they condemned for allegedly targeting Kenyan men, in what some of them claimed was the perpetuation of racial prejudices that black American men have endured over the years.
Those contributing on the forum claimed American police had trained their guns at the Kenyan men, allegedly framing them with serious crimes, in a similar manner that they (the police) shoot dead unarmed black American men in black neighbourhoods and inner cities like Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, Florida and elsewhere.
Kenyans who have so far been arrested were caught allegedly committing crimes by their relatives, who called police on them.
These are the people who have been targeted for criticism, with some men discouraging their compatriots from resorting to police action, even if they caught their relatives raping children.
Around June, a group of Kenyan immigrant men met in Atlanta, Georgia, formed “Maendeleo ya Wanaume” for solidarity against women from their country who allegedly called police on them at the slightest provocation.
WORSE IN KENYA?
A Kenyan professional based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, questioned how it benefits Kenyans who choose to share on WhatsApp forums photos and stories of those arrested for sex offences.
Neema Moraa posted the arrest and arraignment in court of Nyakweba with a distress message in the Kisii language, which read: “Ng’ai gose bakungu togochiagotenena tokure? (Where shall (we) women, stand and wail?)”
Moraa was exasperated by the increased cases of rape of girls by their biological fathers in Minnesota. She was simply condemning fellow men who had gone overboard with cases of rape, and she was screaming and condemning the latest madness.
Moraa was immediately attacked by Daniel Monari, who told her: “Shouldn’t we hold our judgements until all facts are legally established in the court of law?”
Although some level-headed Kenyans warned their compatriots not to act like some Kenyan politicians who try to cover up their crimes under the guise of “innocent until proved guilty,” others attacked called for an urgent meeting to discuss the escalating crimes.
A teacher, Ayaka Onyambu, accused the police of perpetuating racial hate against Kenyan men in Minnesota.
“Let me be a little blunt and froggy… If you’re a young black man living in the USA, just know from now (in case you didn’t know) that your chances of being arrested whether you commit a crime or not (or even being shot dead) are tenfold elevated. This is also public knowledge but most retards won’t know,” Onyambu said.
Adding: “In my view, there’s nothing wrong with us menfolk. These things did not start to happen here. This behaviour is even much more widespread in Kenya than it is here. In Kisii county alone (where most of us are from), rape happens probably more than a 1,000 times a day but no one screams! This hypocrisy must stop.”
Onyambu however, did not say how many Kisii men back in Kenya rape their little daughters, who look upon them for protection, mentoring and caring.
He went on to lecture fellow Kenyans about the dangers of living in America as black men.
“If you’re a woman with a son, you’re better served worrying about your black son’s future than cheerleading arrests that have not been proven yet. It’s remarkable that while some in our community have taken it upon themselves to educate our youth how to stay out of trouble, others have taken the high road to make fun of people’s misfortunes. Saaad!”
It is imperative to note that while racial problems have been a centuries-long problem in America, the current wave of rapes involving Kenyan men has nothing to do with race.