@ratemoalvin
Residents of Nyamira are alarmed at the huge number of children hawking wares along the streets.
They have called on police officers to trace the children's guardians and parents to remove them from the streets.
Some of the children told the Star they were working with permission from the parents to support their families' income.
One child said he comes from a poor family of three where his mother, a casual labourer, is the bread winner.
The Standard 7 pupil in a school within Nyamira town said hawking was his only way of getting some income for the family.
“My mother is a casual worker who goes and works on other people’s farms so that we get something to eat. But since the Covid-19 outbreak, farm owners said they had run out of cash to pay casual workers,” he said.
Beavon Magare, a resident, said chiefs and their assistant should be held responsible for the cases of child labour.
“It is very said that we can have underage children engaging in business while their parents and the authorities watch,” he said.
Other residents urged the authorities to come to the rescue of the children.
“We are calling upon the county commissioner and the security agencies to move with speed and establish why school going children are doing business instead of staying at home.
“These kids risk contracting the deadly coronavirus disease if there is a case,” Magare said.
