On April 14, 2014, residents of Kasarani in Nairobi County watched in disbelief as police officers engaged suspected thugs in a gun battle.
The suspects had raided a petrol station in Ruiru town and stole Sh2 million before fleeing to Kasarani area.
The incident which left three thugs dead was a life-changing experience for Calvince Okoth alias 'Gaucho' who was linked to the suspected criminal gang.
Speaking to The Standard this week, Gaucho, who is now an aspiring politician and youth leader with the Azimio la Umoja political outfit, narrates how he narrowly escaped death and vowed to change his life for the better.
"We had just raided a petrol station in Ruiru and the plan was to meet at Kasarani. It was an inside job, which means we first had to give the informant his share and then go somewhere else to split the money amongst ourselves. Our initial negotiation was that we give him Sh200,000 then walk away with rest," Gaucho remembers.
"But on that fateful day, he demanded more, so we ended up giving him Sh1.7 million. What we did not know is that he had made plans with the police to arrest or kill all of us and then share the Sh2.2 million we had stolen with them. He knew where our meet-up point was and that is how police were able to find us," narrates Gaucho.
According to him, they were lucky to be informed by one of the gang members that the police were after them, as that gave them time to plan an escape route.
"Our friend had gone to the shop. As he was there, he heard police in civilian clothes ask around if anyone had seen us and they were on a radio call asking for backup. He then called to alert us to be on the lookout. One of us decided to distract the police as we hid. He was the first to be shot...I escaped and hid in a dumpsite and watched my friends get shot...Those are situations where you cannot do anything but be quiet and watch," he said.
Those few minutes soaking in the stench from the dumping site and watching his three friends breathe their last were his turning point.
"I lost people very close to me and to date, it still pains me. The money was good but sustaining it was at a cost that I wasn't willing to pay. That is why I decided to stop. Change for me meant helping those with a past like mine to reform and support them so that they do not backslide and that is what I have been doing since," Gaucho says.
Currently, he is running an initiative that supports single mothers whose husbands have been convicted and is mentoring those convicted of crimes such as theft.
He believes that if he succeeds in politics, he can do a lot more than that.
