It is assumed that all street children in Nairobi are either orphans or have no place to go but is this really true?
The truth is that most of these children reside near the town and have got a place to call home and parents or, at least, one parent.
Most parents neglect their responsibility towards their children and convert them to beggars because they know most people have a soft spot for children and would easily give them cash if they asked for it.
Last week near Latema road Nairobi, I met one of these children begging for twenty shillings for supper. Out of curiosity, I decided to walk with him to a nearby chips place because I knew if I gave him the cash, he would not use it for food.
During our conversation, I asked why he begs and whether he had anything else he was doing.
‘‘Sijawaihi ona wazazi wangu tangu utotoni. Nimeishi hapa kwa chochoro tu na mabuda na hata nikitolewa
nitaenda wapi?”
What I later learned is that not all the street children have the same story. Some are sent by their parents to beg for food while others genuinely have nowhere else to turn to.
Some children even form cartels just to have a sense of belonging.
The Nairobi county government should come up with strategic measures on how to curb the rising trend instead of arresting them and condemning them to harsh treatment.