Africa-Press – Kenya. The Nairobi County Government has announced a crackdown on ‘fake beggars’ who have been roaming the streets of the country’s capital using rented children.
In a statement on Sunday, June 15, Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria claimed that the beggars have been using rented young children, pretending to be their own, to gain sympathy from people and exploit them.
Mosiria asserted that the removal of the beggars from the streets of the city will be key to protecting the children from harsh conditions in the streets.
“Those who are genuinely seeking a way out should be supported and helped to return home, but those exploiting the system must be removed,” Mosiria stated.
An undated photo of Street children in Nairobi. Photo
“Most importantly, we must protect innocent children who are being used and exposed to dangerous street conditions,” he added.
Mosiria went ahead and cited a recent incident where he encountered a woman with two children, claiming that she was from Kakamega and that she was in the streets because her husband had neglected them.
According to Mosiria, he went ahead and paid for her transport back to Kakamega and even directed the driver to give her Ksh500 as pocket money once they arrived at their destinations.
However, once she was in the vehicle, she demanded the Ksh500, told the driver to keep the rest of the money, and vanished.
“I paid Ksh1,600 for her fare and instructed the driver to give her Ksh500 as pocket money upon arrival. However, after boarding the matatu, she refused to travel and instead asked the driver to refund her Ksh500 and keep the rest as his benefit too,” Mosiria said.
“When the driver called to inform me, she ran away. That’s when I realised this is her business on the streets, pretending to be stranded and in need of fare, only to later share the money with drivers or conductors who fall for her tricks,” he added.
According to a census conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the country has a total of more than 46,639 street families, with the highest number of them residing in Nairobi (15,337).
From Sunday, June 29, according to the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund, the government is set to conduct a nationwide census for street families to ascertain their exact numbers for appropriate interventions to be taken to see their rehabilitation.
The fund affirmed that the census will show the progress the country has made in rehabilitating street families and reducing their numbers.
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