Rashid Charles Mberesero
The revelation that Rashid Charles Mberesero, who was arrested last week over his alleged involvement in a terror attack in which 148 people were killed, most of them students at Kenya’s Garissa University College, absconded from school since January, raises concern on whether parents are as close enough to their children—especially those in boarding schools.
Rashid, a 21-year-old Form Five student at Bihawana High School in Dodoma, is reported to have run away after he was barred from wearing a barghashia (Muslim cap) contrary to regulations.
Bihawana headmaster Joseph Mbilinyi said the student joined his school on August 15, last year, having shifted from Bahi’s Kigwe Secondary School. He said Rashid shifted from Kigwe where he was pursuing a History, Geography and Kiswahili (HGK) combination to study Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) at his school.
While we don’t know what motivated Rashid to let himself be recruited into terrorism, what disturbs us is the fact that after he ran away from school in January, his parents remained unaware of his whereabouts.
The school, which, as a matter of course, should monitor the situation of learners up to the moment it releases them for holidays, apparently never bothered to contact his parents after the boy absconded.
From what we are told, Rashid’s parents were shocked to learn that their son was among the Al-Shaabab sponsored Garissa killers.
Mobile phone away
Which is to say, for almost four months, the boy’s parents believed their son was in school, something which wasn’t true. When a parent stays for four months without enquiring—and being duly informed—about the welfare of their child, more so in today’s world where the other person is just mobile phone call away, our parenting skills become questionable.
As parents or guardians, we have a role to play in ensuring that our children are well-behaved, not only while at home, but also when they are in school.
Presently, countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Syria, Europe and even in the US, are contending with the problem in which teenagers—boys and girls as young as 16—are being recruited to join the Isis fighters.
As parents, we are either too occupied with our career pursuits or business to the extent that we don’t have time to check out what our young are doing, be it in school or at home.
Rashid has been arrested and is now facing terrorism charges, but how many children, including those from affluent families, are doing wrong things like using drugs or not attending classes?
How many of our young are into prostitution? We mostly come to learn our children have gone astray when it is too late.
In modern-day Dar es Salaam, it is common to find teenagers drinking expensive whiskies in public places and you can’t but wonder where they get the money. If they aren’t being financed by their parents, there must be someone out there who is footing their huge bills. What happened to Rashid must serve as a wakeup call to all parents and teachers, who must realise that today’s world is awash with agents of evil targeting young minds.
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