Traders in Kisii worried by rise in number of street children
Street children rummage through garbage outside the Municipal Market. Traders in Kisii Town have said rising numbers of street children are worrying and want both the county and national governments to act. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Traders described the numbers as worrying and appealed to both the county and national governments to act.
- Kisii County Probation Director Oribo Kinyosi recently raised the red flag on the issue.
- He said the street family culture was fast catching up in the region.
Traders in Kisii are up in arms against the rise in the number of street children in the town’s central business district.
They described their numbers as worrying and appealed to both the county and national governments to act.
“It is shameful that we have allowed their numbers to increase,” former Kisii Deputy Mayor Patrick Siro told Nation.co.ke.
“Something must be done as soon as possible before they mutate into hard-core criminals,” he added.
Kisii Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Benjamin Onkoba called for the establishment of a rehabilitation centre for the children.
Mr Onkoba called for long-term strategies to help deal with the problem.
Mr Onkoba cited irresponsible parenting and dysfunctional families as factors contributing to the problem.
“If we had systems working and parents brought up their children responsibly, we could not be having this problem,” observed Mr Onkoba.
He said the government alone may not adequately address the problem without the help of parents.
Kisii County Probation Director Oribo Kinyosi recently raised the red flag on the issue.
He said the street family culture was fast catching up in the region.
