Scrap metal dealers in Kiambu sub-counties have been warned against buying metals and plastic bottles from children.
Speaking in her office on Tuesday, Kiambu children’s officer Mong’are Mwambi said many children have developed a habit of frequenting the streets to collect old metals and bottles and were paid on delivery depending on the weight of the items.
“Our children should do constructive job that will help build their future but moving from street to street will not help our children,” he said.
Mwambi lamented that most of these children end up dropping out of school to join the scrap metal collection business because of the little money they are given.
“Parents should protect their children and monitor their movements during weekends, mid-terms and school holidays so as to ensure they do not engage in businesses that can ruin their future,” said the officer.
He said that the dealers enticed the children with money making them not attend school but instead go out to look for scrap metals and bottles for sale.
“This business is affecting education in this area as absenteeism among pupils is very high but some parents condone it because the children share the money with them,” he said.
Mwambi said most of the children engage in criminal activities and steal metals from locals including signboards and posts directing the public to different destinations.
The children officer promised to take action against metal dealers using children to get their raw materials to their industries thereby impeding the rights of children to education and hampering the free and compulsory education policy.
The officer urged parents to embrace education as it was the key to the children ’s future and further called upon them to cooperate with teachers and report any scrap metal businessmen encouraging child labour.