Nairobi MCAs want Governor Johnson Sakaja to have street children domiciled at a rehabilitation centre to ensure there is order and curb insecurity.
Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege wants the county assembly to compel Sakaja to issue a one-month notice to the general public on the removal of all the street children dwelling and purporting to engage in socio-economic activities in the county.
Street children have been cited as part of the insecurity problem in the city.
Some of them are accused of mugging and snatching items from members of the public.
“The county should fast-track construction and equipping of the Ruai rehabilitation centre to accommodate the street families, have them rehabilitated and hence work for a better life,” Chege said in the motion set for discussion in the assembly.
Chege said she was concerned that inaction was exposing the street children to harm and exploitation.
“I’m disturbed that the street children population in Nairobi has increased over the years which has seen them thrust into a bleak, harsh and depraved environment often fraught with constant and imminent danger in various forms such as harassment, violence, drug abuse, trafficking, sexual exploitation, loneliness, fear, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, starvation, early pregnancy, poor hygienic and sanitation conditions,” the motion reads.
“I’m further disturbed that most street children and in particular, the Central Business District have been subjected to socio-economic exploitation, resulting them into hawking and begging, depriving them the right to basic education.”
The 2019 census report showed that Kenya had 46,639 street persons, out of whom 21,550 were aged between 10 and 34 years, and those below 19 years were 15,752.
Nairobi was found to have the highest number of street urchins at 15,337 followed by Mombasa at 7,529, Kisumu at 2,746, Uasin Gishu at 2,147 and Nakuru at 2,005.
“Upon completion of the rehabilitation centre at Ruai, the county government should apprehend and direct any street child upon the expiry of one-month notice [to the centre,” she said.
“It should also develop a county street children exploitation prevention policy that will seek to deter street children exploitation and promote school enrolment forthwith.”
In 2019, MCAs passed a motion to compel the then governor Mike Sonko to form a board to exclusively deal with the street family menace in the city.
The motion that was sponsored by then-nominated MCA Mellab Lumalah also called on the county government to come up with a comprehensive policy complete with programmes for the rehabilitation of street families.
The envisioned board would work independently like other boards in the county. It is not clear what became of the motion.
