Thugs eyeing your school fees

By John KamyaIt is time for the children to go back to school. Going back school to many parents/guardians means digging deep into their pockets to provide the tuition fees, as well as providing other school requirements. The long winding lines in most of the banks, have started forming and majority of the people in those lines are children and parents paying school fees.My word of caution is that the thugs know this period very well, as one of their harvest seasons. They are on rampage to pick-pocket, rob, con and steal this money meant for school fees. Below are some of the renowned tricks they have used to fleece children. l They pretend to be workers of the bank by emerging from behind bank counters. Because the lines are often too long, these con men /women often offer to ‘help’ the children by convincing them that they will assist them deposit the money. Because the children want to avoid the long line, they surrender the money. The con men never appear again together with the money and the next thing you hear and see are wails and tears.lThe con men are on the streets near banks and look out for school going children. They put items of witchcraft such as strings, small stones, beads, pieces of cloths etc. and convince the children to jump over the charms. The charms are said to be for trapping boda-boda thieves etc. The con men then intimidate the victims by spelling out the dangers that may befall them, if they are not cleansed by undergoing some rituals. The conmen then take the children to suburbs, where they rob them of all their money and any other property. Last year, a senior five student of Our Lady of Good Counsel S.S. Gayaza fell victim to this kind of trick and lost sh500,000.l Pick pockets can also way lay students on the street and snatch their money. Alternatively, they target school children on a shopping spree for school requirements such as books, beddings etc.. and offer to help them find cheaper bargains. In the process, the money gets stolen.l On the actual days of going back to school, con men usually steal students’ property like suit cases, mattresses etc. They do this by offering to help carry the property. Others snatch it and run off knowing that a child who is overloaded cannot pursue them. In taxis and buses, the con men offer foods such as biscuits, chewing gum or drinks which contain intoxicating drugs. These make the children sleep and their property gets stolen. I therefore appeal to all parents and guardians to caution their children against such tricks. Alternatively, an adult should do the banking of school fees or shopping . It is advisable that fees be deposited early, before the lines in banks become long. Avoid making children an easy target for thugs, who are out to make off with their hardearned school fees.