This archive report was first published on 27 June 2021.
Published on June 27, 2021, concerns have been raised about the increasing number of street children in Kisii town, who are posing a security threat to residents.
According to eyewitnesses, the boys, who often walk in groups of not less than 10, are demanding handouts from women and shouting obscenities at those who refuse to give them money.
Some women have even alleged cases of harassment, with police investigating claims that the street children are linked to the sale of illicit brews and illegal drugs in the town.
Businessman and politician Okengo Nyambane has attributed the rise in street families to drug abuse, saying that most of them have been exposed to hard drugs.
“Drug consumption by these families is motivated by the hard life that they are going through,” he said.
Tragically, five street children have died under unclear circumstances in the last one year, with records at the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital indicating that 30 sexual violence cases have been reported in the last three months, eight of which were reported by street children.
County Health Executive Sarah Omache has acknowledged the issue of street children as a concern for everyone and a reflection of societal challenges, urging the ailing children to visit government hospitals for proper medication and rehabilitation services.
