High alert in Kisumu as adult street boys attack, rob, and rape residents

Joseph Okello was only seven years old when he fled their home in Gem, Siaya County to become a street boy in Kisumu in 2003. Hardened by the tough living conditions he claims he was subjected to at home by his uncle after the death of his parents, he claims, he was ready to risk everything for a life in the streets.

His dream was to find a way to survive and probably get a foster family or a well-wisher to take care of him and take him back to school. This dream, however, crumbled under the weight of drugs, crime, and a series of bad luck including arrests by police officers that the young Okello encountered.

Today, Okello is among the several street boys who have become adults while spending their lives in the streets of the lakeside city. Their presence in the city elicits fear among some residents as concerns over the huge number of street families in Kisumu continue to grow among several stakeholders.

According to residents and traders operating within the CBD, the adult street men have now grouped themselves into vicious gangs wreaking havoc on innocent civilians.

They are the group that is not afraid to drive a knife in your belly if you refuse to part with your valuables in the dark alleys of the city and isolated parks at night. In the evening, they coax residents walking home after work to give them handouts and also harass traders to buy them groundnuts, fruits, and meals.

When we caught up with Okello at Oile Market, he was in a group of about eight street boys. All of them are aged between 2--30 years. They also joined the streets several years ago as children but have now grown into adults. Okello says most of them are still in the streets because they do not have anywhere else to go.
"I did not go to school and all the survival skills I have learned are on the streets. How do you expect such a person to quit living in the streets?" he poses.

But he is not alone. Fredrick Wanjala, another street boy who came to Kisumu in 2014 is also following the same steps. Unlike Okello who sleeps on the streets, Wanjala has a house in Obunga estate but still prefers to operate as a street boy. He claims a bottle of gum never leaves his side.

"I have a house but I have to come to town and operate with my other colleagues. We do odd jobs and clean hotels," he claims.

Sexual harassment

He claims they are being targeted unfairly but admitted that some of them are involved in crime for survival. Another street boy told The Nairobian that they recruit young street children to survey for their victims, especially those who opt to pass time at Oile and Taifa Parks. They also target unsuspecting commuters at the Kisumu Bus Park at night. Traders at the Bus Park told The Nairobian the street boys always sexually harass female passengers and students at night.

When darkness sets in, many unaccompanied women have found themselves in the hands of sexual predators at the Kisumu main Bus Park. Many cases go unreported, with victims cowed into silence by emboldened abusers who have turned the park into a crime playground.

Fights between different gangs of street boys have also been common within the city. Early this week, an adult street boy was stabbed to death at the bus park by his colleague after they clashed over the ownership of a hat. The 21-year-old was stabbed twice in the chest and died on the spot. Town Chief Willis Onyona confirmed the tragedy and said the suspect is well-known in the region.

The body of the deceased was moved to the Jaramogi Onginga Odinga Funeral Home. The suspect who is also an adult street boy fled after the gruesome murder. Alarmed by the developments and the frequent complaints from the business community, the city management is mulling ways to address the problem.

County boss: We'll put them in my lorry and drive them to wherever they came from

About a week ago, City Manager Abala Wanga claimed that they will round up all the street boys and load them into a lorry before driving them out of the city. Waanga condemned the street boys over their alleged involvement in a number of cases of mugging and robbery with violence in the city.

According to Aballa, a good number of street boys, especially the grownups, have turned into violent criminals and must no longer be entertained for the sake of peace and harmony in the city.

"We have a problem with the street boys. There's a difference between street boys and street children. Street boys are thugs. They are flooding these hotspots, Taifa Park is a den, and at Bus Park they even rob people at day time. We don't want them in this city" Aballa stated.

According to Aballa, most of the street boys in Kisumu are not natives of the city or its environs but are migrants from the neighbouring counties.

The city manager singled out an incident at Ondiek Estate in which a pregnant woman was allegedly attacked and later died while undergoing treatment at a Kisumu Hospital. He linked the street boys to the incident terming them as brutal and insensitive.

"We do not want them in this city. The next thing we will come, put them in my lorry and drive them to wherever they came from. Some people might make noise claiming we are inhuman but as you say we're inhuman, try to think about that pregnant woman who was brutally murdered at Ondiek Estate," he stated.

According to a Kisumu-based activist Audi Ogada, the plans, while justified to a certain extent, might be a huge human rights violation if not conducted appropriately.

Audi who is also the chairperson of the Kisumu Residents Voice Association, a community-based organization comprising a section of residents of Kisumu City argued that the street families should not be subjected to what he termed as blanket condemnation as criminals but should instead be supported through a multi-agency approach so that they can go back into their families.

"It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all its citizens are given their fundamental rights. They should not be subjected to blanket condemnation that they are criminals without carrying out a proper survey," Audi stated.

He, however, admitted that the street boys are involved in crime.

"They have been involved in criminal activities almost on a daily basis. The issues of mugging, defilement, and rape are common around our parks. Those are just criminals even if they also happen to be street boys," he added.

Rehabilitation centre

Audi's sentiment was echoed by one Kevin Ochieng' a journalist with a local radio station who is among the latest victims of the vicious street boys. Kevin was robbed of his personal belongings including his phone and shoes while taking a rest at Oile Park.

"They came to where I was sitting and violently robbed me of everything including my shoes," he says.
According to a census survey that was conducted last month by an organization dubbed "Homeless of Kisumu", there are up to 400 street families in Kisumu.

Benson Abilla, the director at the organization who led a team that conducted the census, says most of the street families are male adults who are in their twenties and thirties.

"We counted a total of 449 people who are homeless, people who are sleeping on the street at night. 441 were male while eight were female. We had 303 adults and 146 children." Abilla stated.

He believes the only solution is to establish a rehabilitation centre for adults to equip them with skills. Children, on the other hand, should also be accommodated in rehabilitation centers.