This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Published on August 20, 2019, Nairobi Members of County Assembly (MCAs) are seeking a comprehensive policy to address the growing issue of street families in the city's Central Business District (CBD).
The MCAs expressed concerns over the increased number of street children and families, noting that the problem has turned into a social nightmare with more street families invading major streets within the CBD.
Nominated MCA Margaret Mbote proposed a notice of motion, calling for the county executive to develop a policy with programs aimed at rehabilitating street children and families.
Ms Mbote emphasized the need for a law to regulate homes catering for street families, with an institutional system that identifies, assesses, and classifies street families.
She highlighted the issue of homeless people in the county, stating that below the veneer of a dirty street person is a well-calculated and thriving drug and alcohol business where street people are used as mules to transport drugs and alcohol.
Ms Mbote also pointed out that street families or children resort to extorting money from innocent pedestrians and motorists through various tricks, including pretending to be sick or suffering from terrible diseases.
City Hall Security and Compliance Chief Officer, Tito Kilonzi, previously called for the enactment of a law allowing for the detention of disabled foreigners fueling the influx of street families in Nairobi.
The Consortium of Street Children estimated that there were over 60,000 street children in Nairobi in 2016, and last year, City Hall rescued over 700 street children, taking most of them to county rehabilitation homes.
