Children with licences to beg

By Alex Kiprotich

Their stories are moving and will loosen even the wallets or purses of the meanest.

These are the children beggars of Nakuru town. They approach you meekly with a face you cannot turn them away. Their stories are heart-rending even if you do not have anything in your pocket you will be forced to call a friend for an instant loan to give out to the lads.

Their selling line rotates around post-election violence, orphaned, or sick parents. And the message is tailored to move you. They will tell you how they escaped death by a whisker during the 2008 post-election violence in which both parents were killed.

And they even have documents to back the claims: Letters written by the provincial administrators authorising them to collect funds from well wishers.

Mission possible: Begging for street children has become easier in Nakuru town. Photos: Boniface Thuku/Standard

Kariuki Kinyugo traverses Nakuru town from dawn to dusk begging for money he claims he needs to be operated on his dislocated elbow joint.

When he approached me, I noticed he is shy and takes my prodding to know exactly what he wanted.

“I am begging for money so that I can get medical fees for the operation,” he says in staccato. When I ask him where his parents are, the 13-year-old says his parents were killed during post-election violence in Molo.

“I am staying with my sister and brother at Bahati,” he says.

The boy, who has with him a letter from Nyahururu DO dated April 14, says his sister and brother do not have mobile phones so it is difficult to confirm what happened to his parents.

“They do not have phone numbers and I cannot get them now,” he says.

As proof that he is indeed in need, he removes the letter allegedly written by Nyahururu DO Lucia Mwamba asking the public to assist the child.

Issued with permits

“The above named has been authorised by this office to collect funds from well-wishers and the public within Nyahururu District,” reads part of the letter printed with letterhead of the Office of the President Provincial Administration and Internal Security.

The letter is signed by the DO and copied to the OCS Nyahururu. When contacted, the administrator who is now the DO Sachangwany, said she does not remember issuing such a letter. But she adds that usually if such letters are issued, it is only valid for a month and within the indicated jurisdiction.

“I do not remember but may be I issued it when I was still in Nyahururu,” she said.

The letter, however, does not show for how long it is valid.

“This permit is valid from the date of this letter May 14, 2010.”

Davies Otieno, 12, moves from one point to another in the town. Apart from the printed form on which the public can write their names and the amount donated, he carries with him a picture of a man he claims is his father, who is blind.

When I ask him where the father is when we met, Otieno alleges his father is down with a bout of malaria and could not move with him.

Catch 22 for well wishers

To back his claim, Otieno shows me a letter from Nakuru District Gender and Social Development officer, M S Wegulo, asking the members of public to offer assistance.

“The above mentioned is a client registered with the Department of Gender and Social Development. Charles Otieno, 60, lives in Ponda Mali. He went blind two years ago after an acute infection of tuberculosis. Any assistance you can accord him is highly appreciated,” reads part of the letter. The Standard Five pupil, who claims to have other siblings, cannot remember a phone number of even one when asked to for verification purposes.

Another young boy Nicholas Kimani is armed with a picture of a woman she claims is her mother and looks dishevelled. Kimani only says her mum Margaret is very sick and needs food to so that she won’t die of hunger. He also has a letter signed by a doctor at Nakuru Provincial General Hospital referring the patient to Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital in Eldoret. The 13-year-old walk away when asked if he could allow me to photocopy the letter.

Joshua Metto a businessman says some of the letters the children carry are genuine while some could be forged. He says it is wrong for the Government to issue children with letters authorising them to beg.