Survival, especially in the interior of Luo Nyanza, where jobs are limited, can be very hard, unless one has kin outside or a stable income source.
But this has not prevented jobless youth from surviving but has actually forced them to improvise, at times using funny methods to survive without having to work.
Here are some of them;
1. Afternoon patrols
To beat the hunger that comes in the middle of the day, and further worsened by the hot afternoons of Luo Nyanza, it becomes necessary to visit whichever homestead some sweet food aroma is emerging from.
At times this entails patrolling the village while while picking one's next hosts, since one cannot obviously visit the same house everyday.
To appear not interested in the food, some will visit at 11 am and stay until the food is served.
All this time, they will engage the homeowners in unending stories to hide their real intentions.
2. Nyareta
For those of us from Kano in Muhoroni, Kisumu county, it is normal to see youths gathered in rice or tomato plantations where the product has already been harvested, pending the next planting season.
On most occasions, the youth will maximize on the crop that grows after harvesting, otherwise known as "nyareta" mostly in groups of few.
Later they will head to either Ahero, Muhoroni, Chemelil or Miwani towns to beg buyers to buy it off at a throwaway price.
This is because Nyareta is weaker and less nutritional, and therefore less attractive to buyers.
3. Gonya-gonya
Gonya is the Luo word for 'untie me' a word used by jobless youth while trying to force out some money from people, mostly visitors.
So upon learning that so ka so (people are referred to using their African names, for example, Otieno Ka Onguko) is back from 'boma' (town) they will troop to your home.
The pressure that will be heaped on you will force you to dig into your pockets, after which they will leave for the nearest drinking den for some 'achwaka' (brew).
To some, this is how ends are made to meet.
#HivisasaOriginal.