The Influence of Urban Criminal Gangs on the Socio-economic Livelihoods of Former Female Gang Members: the Case of Gaza Criminal Gang in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Females are influential agents of social change in the African social sphere, and their participation in criminal gangs is likely to negatively affect future generations. Consequently, if allowed to join criminal gangs, they are likely to bring up children who are truant and notorious criminals, and fail to contribute meaningfully to the social development agenda. To ensure that they make a meaningful contribution to the society and shun crime, those females who choose to leave gang life need to be supported to rebuild their lives. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the implications of gang membership on former female gang members’ social and economic livelihoods outside the gang. The following specific objectives guided this study while recognizing that the focus was on a sample of ex-gang female members. The study aims were; (a) to find out how females are recruited into Gaza gang and implication of their recruitment (b) to determine the factors that inspired the females’ decision to leave Gaza gang (c) to examine the influence of the roles played by female recruits in the Gaza gang on their social and economic livelihoods post gang life (d) to find out the implications of Gaza gang’s structure and activities on female ex-gang member’s social and economic livelihoods. The study was anchored on the lifestyle victimology theory and Feminist Criminology Theory. To achieve its objectives, the research was conducted in Nairobi East, in the areas of Dandora and Kayole where Gaza gang activities are documented on a daily basis. A mixed method design was used, and it involved combining the survey method for quantitative data and a qualitative research design. The study targeted 300 former female Gaza gang members, and a sample size of 111 members was obtained using a constructed data set and simple random sampling. Out of 111 female ex-Gaza gang members, only 100 participants responded. The study also considered KIIs namely six local police officers, three NGAO officials, and two Nyumba Kumi officials as key informants. The quantitative responses were then analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was analyzed for content and presented thematically. The study findings indicate that age and education have a role to play in determining gang departure for women. Females had been lured into the Gaza gang through drug usage in social places, especially in the housing estates. The findings of the study indicate that most female ex-Gaza gang members performed roles such as information gathering, ferrying goods, and storing firearms. The study concludes that the livelihoods of former female gang members was endangered due to increased stigmatization and stereotyping from the community members as a result of their past gang life. Engagement in criminal gang activity leaves women more prone to dangers such as sexual abuse and being more deprived economically than men in post gang membership. Most females in the gang are abused psychologically, sexually, and physically, which affects their social and economic livelihoods significantly in post gang membership. In conclusion, the study recommended that law enforcement agencies should map out all the places where recruitment for female gang members takes place and apprehend all the recruiters to protect vulnerable females. The National and County Governments should increase awareness among parents in the informal settlements on the potential recruitment of their young girls into criminal gangs. Additionally, the government should finance small business ventures to boost the economic livelihoods of former female gang members and empower them. Community programs for mentorship should be designed to assist the development of self-reliance culture in former female gang members.