A crackdown is in the offing to apprehend people alleged to be conning donors and well wishers in the name of operating children homes, orphanages and rescue homes in Nakuru.
According to County coordinator for children affairs Abdi Sheikh Yusuf, it was with a matter of concern that the vice was secretly rising in the county subjecting unsuspecting and innocent children to untold suffering.
He noted that in collaboration with the Kenya Children Homes Association, they will traverse the county to check the validity of the homes.
“Among the things we will check are registration and operating certificates, state of the facilities, living conditions of the children among others,” he said.
Sheikh Abdi regretted that it was sad to learn that some people had formed the homes so as to get funding from international organisations but the funds never benefit the children on the ground.
“Why should anybody in their rightful senses even think of doing such a thing, this is taking advantage of the vulnerable in society for personal gains,” he explained.
The children’s affairs expert blamed illiteracy and hard conditions of living to the exploitation saying that when parents are approached to have their children taken away, they never question it with a majority thanking God for relieving them from the burden of feeding and even educating them.
“Many people have a formed mind about children homes with many believing that once a child is there, everything is catered for by the donors. But in this case, the child gains almost zero benefit from the arrangement,” he said.
According to regulations, the home must be duly registered with the social services department, with its reasons for operation clearly stipulated in their mandate before sourcing for any donor funding.
Giving false information, going against the mandate and lying to donors in order to get funding is punishable by the law.