Street families and severely disabled in Nakuru to get cash

Plans by Nakuru's government to roll out a stipend for the severely disabled and street families is at an advanced stage.

County Executive for Gender and Social Services, Josephine Achieng, said the special stipend will complement that of the national government, but only extended to the most needy cases who largely depended on care givers for survival.

“We have a programme that has been at the committee stage targeting street families, to have them treated, rehabilitated, trained and reintegrated back to the community including resettling them with their families.

“The programme will also seek to empower them with skills for economic activities that can help them fend for themselves,” she said.

Families will be profiled to establish needy cases and help them settle while reuniting truants to their parents and guardians.

“Those who were sent to the streets as a result of poverty will be catered for, while those who as a result of truancy, ran away from home will be reunited.”

The dumping of street families in Nakuru had led to an influx of the desolate, making it hard for the city to realise a 24-hour economy like Eldoret and other towns, she said.

Achieng spoke when she joined residents in Nakuru in marking The Day of the Family, in which various families, including those on the street, called for inclusivity.

Joy Kamau, an advocate at Better Lives Organisation in Nakuru, said the mis-definition of the family unit has brought discrimination and violence in families.

“We speak and stand against groups, who are making it hard for our brothers and sisters to be part of the family despite them not being the traditionally defined nuclear family of a biological father, mother and their biological children,” she said.

The advocate called for inclusivity in spite of differences in opinion, saying true African families are diverse and range from monogamous, polygamous and blended units. 

“We are celebrating the true family values of love, compassion and support for all family members no matter what their beliefs, lifestyles, choices and economic status,” Kamau said.

She lashed out at hypocritical religious leaders and politicians who "were silent when families suffered violence”.

Reproductive Health Champion Organisation Coordinator Martin Lunalo said families were unique and there was need to respect the versions present in society.

“There exists various forms of families including blended, adopted, family by choice, with the need to have family friendly policies in place for inclusivity,” Lunalo said.

The day was commemorated under the theme, ‘Families and Climate Change’ and sought to raise awareness on how families are affected by, and can play a role in mitigating the change.