My real life story
We have all heard about stranger danger. Whether from the media, parenting books, or our own parents repeating it every time we stepped outside—don’t talk to strangers has been drilled into many of us since we could walk. As a parent now, I make it a point to teach my kids this golden rule. Back then, my own parents were no different. My siblings and I had it etched into our little brains: strangers = danger.
And while I never imagined I’d be the main character in a real-life stranger danger story, here we are. Buckle up, this is a story of how I almost learned the hard way why you really shouldn’t talk to strangers—even well-dressed ones with shiny coins.
Let’s be honest—most parents do their best to keep their kids safe. Stranger danger is a top-tier lesson in every home. I’ve heard terrifying, heartbreaking stories of children who innocently responded to a kind smile or a small gift, only to vanish without a trace.
A normal day turned not so normal
I was around seven years old at the time. We lived in Nairobi. I was schooling far from home—well, not far-far, about a 15-minute walk. But for a tiny pair of legs, it felt like a full-on hike. My mother would drop me to school every morning, and after school, I would return home with an older girl from our neighborhood. This girl was in the same shool as myself. There were other kids as well from my estate but this girl was like family and older.
This arrangement worked fine—until one day, it didn’t.
The day I walked alone
On this particular day, I somehow missed my designated walking buddy. You might ask yourslef, Why was no one else responsible for getting me home? Well, parenting in the ’80s was a bit… freestyle. My mom had her hands full—literally—with my little sister and heavily pregnant. Besides there were so many other children like myself walking home on their own.
So there I was, heading home solo for the first time.
To cross the road safely, I did what I thought was clever: I walked right in between adults. Because surely, grown-ups wouldn’t cross the road unless it was safe, right? Genius.
After making it across to the other side of the road, I was next to a bus stop. People were getting off a bus. I remember being tired and just wanting that bus to take me the rest of the way home. Wishful thinking.
Among the crowd of grown-ups disembarking from the bus was one woman who stood out. She was elegant and well-dressed. I was trying to push myself through a small crowd of people and when I could not see where I was going I just stood for a second and is when i saw the fine lady again. Then she did something unexpected—she walked through the crowd right up to me.
Now, let me clarify I did not know this woman, never met her.
She called out, “ukosawa mum” which loosely translates to ‘are you okay mum?
Naturally, my young brain processed this as a valid reason to stop. Not because suddenly i knew who she was but out of my foolish curiosity. She seemed concerned, or so i thought. She handed me a shiny 5 Kenya shillings coin to buy sweets. Before handing me the money she asked for my name and where I was going to and whether I was alone. I thought she was actually very kind and just picked on me out of all the children walking home that day. Perhaps I was very lucky.
It was like a reverse robbery—she was giving me money.
And not just any money. In the ’80s, 5 Kenya shillings was a small fortune. You could buy bread and milk. But me? I was already imagining an endless supply of sweets.
Then, just as quickly as she appeared, she walked back to a bus—maybe the same one, maybe not. It’s all a blur. What I know is, she boarded a bus leaving me staring at the 7-sided coin in my palm, confused and excited all at once. I continued on my solo walk home but this time 5 Kenya shillings richer.
Now you can criticize me all you want for not heeding to my parents advise. I know I was very wrong and I regreted it straight away. Worse could have happened that day. She could have abducted me and my parents could never have known where I went.
I will also point out that were not very rich but we had all that we needed and never lacked. My parents provided for all our needs. However my parents never gave us money for sweets so having my own money for sweets was a big deal. I was very excited to share this news with my mother. Silly me.
If you’re thinking this is where things got weird, you’re right.
I skipped home, excited to tell my mother about the generous stranger who gifted me a small treasure.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom when I burst in with the news. Towel around her, she asked the dreaded question:
“Which nice lady?”
Uh oh.
The shift in her tone said it all. I was in big trouble.
My mother took me by the ear and told me to bring back that money to whoever gave it to me. That is not before me getting a proper beating for not heeding to her warning. Now in my head I’m thinking I saw that stranger get in a bus and the bus is most likely gone. Where was I going to find her. I was also wondering why wouldn’t my mother just take the money and use it if she didn’t want me using it. That was my silly thought but ofcourse my mother knew better.
Sharing this story later on when I was abit older, some people said this lady was probably giving me cursed money. What was her motive of giving me money then baording bus straight away. However that is unlikely to be the case because how would she have known that a young girl was walking on her own at that particular time so as to have a cursed coin ready. Others say it was my guardian angel. My guardian angel would’t put me into trouble so that I get a proper beating by my mother.
I think it was just one of those strange life moments that leave you wondering forever. What was her motive? Why give a random kid money and leave? However, I was unharmed and live to tell the story. And that dear readers is my stranger danger encounter. It was not very scary for me but was a great life lesson which I have heeded to to date.
Stranger danger is real
Looking back, anything could’ve happened that day. She could’ve lured me onto that bus. She could’ve led me away. But she didn’t. I was lucky. Very lucky.
So here’s my advice to parents:
- Teach your kids about stranger danger early.
- Explain not just the rule, but also the why.
- Encourage them to trust their gut.
- And please—for the love of sweets—don’t leave your 7-year-old walking 15 minutes home alone.
Have you or someone you know ever had a close call with a stranger? Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear it.
