Dumped Nakuru street children to wait longer for justice

More than 40 street children who were arrested and dumped in a forest in Baringo by Nakuru County enforcement officers will wait longer to get justice after the assembly failed to release its report on the incident.

A county assembly joint committee on Labour, Gender, Youth and Social Welfare, which has been investigating the incident, failed to table its report on Thursday.

INHUMANE

This is a big setback to the street children’s quest for justice after waiting for more than one year to know culprits behind the inhumane act.

The street children were rounded up and dumped in a forest in Chemususu in Baringo County in February 2019.

A petition filed at the assembly to bring the culprits to book has been pending for more than one year even as human rights defenders demand justice.

County law enforcers who carried out the act are yet to face the law because the assembly has not received the report. Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja sought to know why it had taken more than one year before the report is released.

RECESS

However, Labour committee chairperson Kamau Githengi promised to table the report in the House on March 31.

 “This is a matter of grave concern and the statement should be tabled in the House after recess,” ruled acting Speaker Michael Njoroge Sonis.

Apart from the street children’s case, at least 12 other statements are yet to be tabled in the House.  

Agriculture committee chairperson failed to issue statements requested by nominated MCA Grace Mwathi and Philip Wanjohi concerning the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the county and the devolved unit’s preparedness to manage locust invasion.

Another statement by Mr Wanjohi over the county’s preparedness to deal with coronavirus was put on hold.

Environment, Water, Energy and Natural Resources committee chairperson promised to issue a statement requested by MCA Wahome Jambo Kenya over the setting up of Vision 1 Company in Kiamaina Ward.

The status of the recovery of public property in the county by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is still on hold since the chairperson of the committee on Lands, Housing and Physical Planning was not in the House to respond to Biashara Ward MCA Peter Njoroge’s request.

BILLBOARDS

Naivasha East MCA Stanley Karanja’s request concerning the erection of billboards along the Nakuru-Nairobi highway by the devolved unit was put on hold.

The residents of Biashara Ward in Naivasha will wait longer to know the status of Kahuruko water project and Gicheha community borehole as the Lands, Housing and Physical Planning committee failed to table a report as requested by MCA Joel Karuri.

The chairperson of Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives failed to issue statements requested by MCA Stanley Karanja and Cecilia Karanja (Visoi) concerning the sale of illicit brews and maize products contaminated with aflatoxin in the county.

EMERGENCY FUND

The committee on Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives was on the spot again after it failed to issue a comprehensive report on the Nakuru County Investors conference.

The status of the county Emergency Fund, as requested by MCA Stanley Karanja, will be put on hold as the committee on Disaster Management is still working on the report.

A statement requested by Njoro MCA Zacharia Kahiro on the status of the distribution of conditional grants in the county was also not available as the chairperson of the committee on Roads, Public Works was absent.