Mwangi’s friends knew Muendi’s case and blamed it on her husband.
The place they call home is an abandoned kiosk wrapped around with tattered old white sacks. They use old cartons, plastic bags and rags as seats and beddings.
Like an illustration of the true meaning of riches of the heart, the street boys have nothing apart from their lives.
Even as they struggled to sober up from the glue they were sniffing, their love for Muendi depicted them as people of generosity, humility and humanity.
“We like helping Muendi. It is from the bottom of our hearts and we do it from a very clean heart. When she had her two hands and leg she was always a nice person,” Mwangi stammered.
They are also abreast with current affairs of the nation.
One, they didn’t like most was the latest wave of domestic violence.
They were sad to also talk about other survivors of domestic violence including the controversial attack of Jackline Muendi whose hands were allegedly cut off by her husband.
One of the older boys said he left his wife following a family dispute and never thought of attacking her though he was hurt and bitter about their separation.
“I was married some years back but we parted our ways and my wife was married in Kilumbasi so that she could inherit her father’s property. I came to Emali to push on with my life alone.”
The street boys of Emali wish that families can live together and dialogue when differences occur but when one threatens each other with death, they are advising them to report to authorities instead of waiting for them to make their threats real.
“Husbands and wives should love one another like the way you did when you made your vows in church,” one explained.
“When problems come, talk to each other. God does not want people to fight. Kikiumana kabisa, (When differences become very complicated), then go to your parents. But if someone threatens to kill you, go and tell the chief, then they get arrested,” the boys advised.
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