Tucked within Busia town’s informal settlements, Burumba Estate has long operated as an open secret: a hub where illicit brews flow from dawn to dusk, drawing jobless youth, petty traders and hardened drinkers alike.
Here, residents say, alcohol, desperation and distorted relationships collided on the night of January 10, 2026, leaving several youths injured and one dead.
What began as casual drinking escalated into violence, exposing a deeper crisis quietly consuming Busia’s urban estates: older women sustaining and controlling young men with food, alcohol and shelter, using them as lovers, protectors — and increasingly — fighters.
On a humid afternoon, the narrow shopping strip of Burumba Estate tells a story that parents say has become painfully common. Young men in their late teens and early 20s lounge outside kiosks, plastic cups in hand, laughter spilling into the dusty road.
To residents, it is not just casual drinking. It is a sign of what they describe as a troubling survival arrangement: jobless boys drifting into informal marriages with older women who provide alcohol, meals and a place to sleep in exchange for companionship and loyalty.
Parents across the border county are alarmed. They accuse some women of “spoiling boys,” saying alcohol has become both bait and bond, turning sons into de facto husbands long before they have found their footing in life.
Speaking at a public baraza, Selestine Adhiambo said older women were taking children into their homes, offering alcohol freely and calling on the government to intervene.
“Burumba women who are drunkards have taken our kids; they are buying them free alcohol and turning them into husbands. There is one woman known as ‘Mama Maldi’ who has taken our sons. Government and leaders, please intervene — our boys are suffering in the hands of older women in the name of love,” she said.
Adhiambo urged older women to leave young men to plan for their futures and form relationships with peers. “Our children are suffering in the hands of bigger women who take advantage of them. This is dangerous because these boys will struggle to settle when they want partners their own age,” she said.
Burumba Estate, once notorious mainly for petty crime and gang activity, now faces a different problem. Residents say disputes often escalate in the alcohol-driven relationships.
According to witnesses, a husband and wife were drinking at a chang’aa den when a disagreement erupted. Voices rose, insults flew and quarrels quickly drew a crowd. Among those present was a fish vendor, popularly known as Mama Solo, who witnesses claim intervened — not out of goodwill.“The man involved was her lover. Tempers flared further when her intervention was rejected, chang’aa was splashed on her face and she was warned to stay out of the fight,” said Sharon Imoli, a resident.
Imoli said Mama Solo left the scene humiliated and enraged, returning with reinforcements. “By morning, several youths lay injured. One man later died from injuries sustained during the violence. It became clear these boys were being mobilised,” she said.
“It used to be young men recruited by gangs. Now, many are kept by older women. The currency is alcohol. When one woman’s supply ends, the boy moves on to another,” said the boda-boda chairman.
These relationships are rarely formalised by law or culture. There are no dowries or elders consulted, yet within Burumba Estate, they are widely seen as marriages of convenience. In exchange, young men receive meals, shelter, and a steady supply of alcohol.
William Onyango, a youth leader, said many boys run errands, provide companionship, and sometimes act as enforcers or lookouts. “They engage in fights at chang’aa dens, leading to retaliation and deaths,” he said.
Parents blame the trend on economic hardship. With few jobs and rising costs, many young men have dropped out of school or returned home with little hope of employment. “When hunger meets alcohol, temptation wins. A woman with a small business or remittances can easily control a boy who has nothing,” one resident said.
The women involved are usually older — in their thirties, forties, or older — working as traders, bar attendants, fish vendors, or casual workers. Some host multiple young men, rotating them through their homes.
Not all residents agree with the harsh labels. Some say certain women provoke the fights and should leave the area. Margret Akinyi, a village elder, appealed for restraint. “We call on women to leave these young men alone. If they cannot, they should leave our village. The boys spend all their time drinking,” she said.
Even some women admit the arrangements are risky. Alcohol fuels jealousy and violence. “When a boy drinks too much, he becomes unpredictable. If he thinks you are seeing someone else, he can turn violent. When another woman ‘takes’ him, fights start,” said a resident.