Street families in Eldoret town have called on the government and other well-wishers to come to their rescue.
The street families say they have been through many challenges, and that it was time the government came in to offer help in providing a better place to stay and empower them.
Veronica Wamboi, one of the street families lament that many of them battle illnesses that are a result of their poor environment.
“We are suffering, others are dying because of pneumonia, we have no houses to sleep in. The government should come and help us get training,” Wamboi who has been in the streets for 10 years now noted.
“Some of us have diseases like HIV because of the environment we live in and our children don’t go to school,” said the mother of three, who is also pregnant.
Another member of the street families in Eldoret, Sheila Slantoi, tells Uasin Gishu News that had she gotten any kind of support from the government, she would be far now.
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Slantoi was born in Maralal but she was raised in Eldoret – where she studied up to standard 7 before dropping out after her parents divorced.
“I have a sister who relies on menial jobs and there is no way I will go to her to add another burden of taking care of me and my kids,” she says.
“What I need right now is support,” Slantoi added.
Brian Mwasame who has lived on the streets for the last 7 years says the kind of life they are living is a tough one.
The situation has been worsened with a regular cat-and-mouse chase with the police and county askaris – as the street families are usually blamed for the theft and other vices within the CBD.
“Hii maisha tunaishi ni ngumu sana. Itakua poa tukieza pata mtu wa kutusaidia tutoke hizi streets. Hii maisha ni ya kubahatisha, unaeza pata mtu anafanya kitu mbaya but ni sisi ndio tunaekelewa. Tunahangaika sana,” noted Mwasame.
Benson Juma Akumu, a former street child and an activist says it is time the government came up with a policy framework to support the street families – whose numbers are rising by the day.
He also wants an end to unfair targeting of the street families by security agencies.
Akumu is also calling for an audit of all charges facing street families in Eldoret.
“It’s unfair and irrational to claim a street child has over 100 liters of chang’aa. Why arrest them yet we know who the traders in the illegal business are?” asked the activist.
“We have youths ready to go to college, we need the government to come up with a policy that can help the street children go to school, and get training,” he added.
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