Nairobi Members of County Assembly now wants Governor Johnson Sakaja to have street children permanently placed in a rehabilitation centre as a way to bring order and curb insecurity in the city.
The street children and families have faced a myriad of accusation ranging from mugging and snatching items from members of the public in various parts of the city.
Led by Nairobi South MCA Waithera Chege in a motion set for discussion in the assembly, they 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.
Further, she recommended that the county should develop a county street children exploitation prevention policy that will seek to deter street children exploitation and promote school enrolment forthwith
She said the county should finalize the construction and equipping of the Ruai rehabilitation centre that will be used to accommodate and rehabilitate the street families.
She continued to say that these children on the streets are exposed to various dangers and exploitation.
Part of her motion read, ‘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.’
According to 2019 census Kenya has 46,639 street persons, 21,550 were aged between 10 and 34 years, and those below 19 years were 15,752.
Nairobi County leads in the number of street children at 15,337 followed by Mombasa at 7,529, Kisumu at 2,746, Uasin Gishu at 2,147 and Nakuru at 2,005.
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