Young Men Are Drowning: A Reflection on Society's Responsibility

Young men are swimming through life — some from the shallow end, others thrown straight into the deep.

You find them across every path society offers: in vocations and professions, in business and self-employment, in marriage — and, sadly, in drugs and crime.

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that we are losing many of them. Something is not right.

No Place to Hold

Too many young men are drowning with no place to hold, no guidance, and no space to pause and recalibrate. Prison and the casket are quietly becoming the imposed destinations for far too many. There is little mercy. Little balance. Too much confusion.

The systems that once caught young men before they fell — extended family, community elders, spaces for mentorship — have eroded. In their place, we have left a vacuum filled with social media noise, material pressure, and an unforgiving economy that punishes the slightest misstep.

The Case for the Thingira

Perhaps it is time we bring back the thingira — not necessarily as a physical structure, but as a concept. A space for mentorship. A space for correction without destruction. A space for belonging before judgement.

The thingira in traditional Gikuyu society was more than a bachelor's hut. It was a controlled environment where young men were shaped, tested, guided, and prepared for the responsibilities of manhood. It offered what every young man needs: structure, accountability, and the presence of older men who had walked the path before them.

A Societal Responsibility

Societies do not collapse overnight. They erode — slowly and silently — when their young men are left to drift. When there is no voice of reason reaching them before the voice of despair does. When the only "correction" available comes from the criminal justice system rather than from a community that cares enough to intervene early.

This is not a call for nostalgia. It is a call for intentional investment in the lives of young men — through mentorship programmes, community networks, professional guidance, and, above all, the willingness of those who have made it to turn around and extend a hand.

What Can Be Done

• Mentorship programmes: Establish formal and informal mentorship within workplaces, community organisations, and faith institutions.
• Legal awareness: Many young men encounter the law too late — after an arrest, not before. Early legal education can change trajectories.
• Economic opportunity: Create pathways to meaningful employment and entrepreneurship. Idle hands and empty pockets are a dangerous combination.
• Safe spaces: Build spaces — physical and emotional — where young men can seek guidance without stigma.

The time to act is not after we have lost another generation. It is now.