April 12 is a day set aside by the United Nations (UN) for the commemoration of International Day for Street Children.
The annual commemoration usually seeks to acknowledge the strength and resilience of street children around the globe.
But despite being an international day, it usually goes away silently and unnoticed – a reflection of just how street children issues have been ignored in the country.
Every urban area in Kenya today has a street children issue. Their numbers will keep rising by the day.
Benson Juma Akumu, a street families and minority group activist in Eldoret town simply describes the issue as a ticking time bomb.
Akumu, an ex-street child cautions that without a proper policy framework that will look into integrating members of this group into society, they will be a major problem in the near future.
Change in tact
“We’re sitting on a time bomb that will soon explode. We’re bringing up a generation growing without employment, education, no social values and living in isolation. Their situation has been worsened with punitive measures they are being handled,” the activist says in an interview with Uasin Gishu News.
“The government need to come up with a legislative policy framework that defines who a street child is, how they can be rehabilitated, rescued and the role of government and related agencies,” he adds.
Having been brought up through a rehabilitation centre, Akumu notes that there is a need for a change in the manner in which street families are handled.
He argues that the current approach by county governments, especially in Uasin Gishu was doing more harm than good.
“Street families are facing brutality and violence occasioned by operation by the county that has turned into oppression. We need interventions to secure their safety – psychologically, physically as well as spiritually,” notes the ex-street child who currently runs the Eldoret Social Justice Centre – a human rights organization.
Similar sentiments were shared by Peter Njenga, also an ex-street child.
Rescue centres
Njenga insists that all stakeholders must be brought on board to address issues about street children, not only in Eldoret but also across the country.
He reveals that due to the inhumane handling of the street children, many have gone missing under unclear circumstances and to date, they are yet to be accounted for.
The Ex-Street Children Organization leader further wants a change in policy on the management of rescue centres.
“Currently, rescue centres are worse than cells. Street children prefer to be in police cells than being held there,” Njenga says.
“We need professionals to be in charge of such facilities. People who know how to handle street children and give them a good upbringing,” he adds.
The last census of the street children conducted in 2016 placed their numbers at over 1,900 in Eldoret town. The figure is likely to have doubled or even tripled due to many factors among them the Covid-19 pandemic and the current tough economic period.
