An organization championing the welfare of street families in Eldoret town has called on the Uasin Gishu County Government to focus on financially empowering low-income earners in society among them street children.
Peter Njenga, the Director of the Ex-Street Children Community Based Organization further says the county should include stakeholders in dealing with the welfare of the street children to achieve the desired standards.
He cites the harsh economic conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as the main cause of the increased number of street children in Eldoret town.
“There has been an increase in the number of street children and street families because of the Covid-19 pandemic that caused economic and socio-economic challenges,” said Njenga.
As of December 2019, police had put the number of street children in Eldoret town at over 2,500. The number is likely to have doubled by now.
With the worsening economic situation that is likely to push more children into the streets, the Ex-Street Children CBO boss has also urged the county government to increase the number of rescue centres that they have.
There is only one county-run rescue centre in Eldoret.
Professionals
He also wants the devolved unit to employ professionals to deal with the street children decisively to avoid violation of their rights. He notes that previously, there have been several reported cases of violation of human rights across the rescue centres.
At the same time, Njenga termed the rapid increase in the number of street children as a threat to the security of the county. He stated that precautionary measures should be taken to avoid possible insecurity problems.
“We support the government’s decision to re-locate the street children because the large number is a threat to the security,” he said.
A 2021 census conducted by the government shows that there are over 46, 600 street families across the country.
Past research by Street Families Rehabilitation Fund has also revealed that about 40 per cent of street children usually leave their homes due to lack of food and family issues.
