An impromptu inspection of road refurbishment works in the CBD by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja ended in joy for a street boy after the city boss offered to take him to school.
The boy took the opportunity to explain his plight to the governor as he made his rounds around the city on Tuesday.
"Ibrahim Ali. This young man touched my heart. While inspecting works in the CBD, he walked up to me and said he wants to go to school. He has now found a family and will go to school. I see a bright future," Sakaja said.
Sakaja said the boy has been living on the streets for months after being abandoned.
Although the governor's gesture is welcome, a more sustainable approach is needed to address the plight of thousands of such children.
The exact population of homeless children is unknown but those roaming the streets of Nairobi have been rising alarmingly in number over the years.
Data from Africa Volunteer indicates that Kenya has an estimated 250,000-300,000 street children, around half of them aged between eleven to fifteen years old.
The site puts the figure for Nairobi at between 60-70,000 having risen from a low of about 16,000 in 1989.
Some of the children fled conflict from their home countries such as Somalia and South Sudan, some lost their parents, some ran away from home while others were abandoned at birth.
