Officials arrest scores of street children in swoop, detain them

By Cyrus Ombati

Nairobi, Kenya: More than 90 street children were Tuesday arrested and taken to various rehabilitation homes during a crackdown in Nairobi.

Ninety-four children together with their families were nabbed by officials from Nairobi County City Inspectorate in a new drive aimed at getting rid of the urchins.

Director James Wambugu said the families were locked up in various rehabilitation centres where some of them had escaped in unclear circumstances.

“Some of them are new while others are old. We will continue with the operation to ensure Nairobi is clean of the families,” he said. City streets have been experiencing an influx of urchins who at times attack and rob pedestrians.

New drive

He added there was a new drive to force hawkers out of the streets. Wambugu acknowledged some of the hawkers and street children were behind the rise crime, including snatching and mugging.

“Hawkers should keep off the streets and go back to where they belong,” he said. Wambugu said Nairobi residents would now enjoy services from City Hall.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said the inspectorate would soon be transformed into a metropolitan police unit and cameras installed in the central business district to curb insecurity.

The two officials made the remarks during the relaunch of the safer Nairobi initiative dubbed Safe Nairobi, Better Life: I Am A City Changer.

Dr Kidero said his government will undertake a crime survey, formulate a county urban safety policy and develop a new citywide crime prevention and urban safety strategy, and an accompanying monitoring system.

“We are prioritising safety and security in the integrated urban development master plan and other human settlement upgrading and renewal programmes and create support mechanisms by instituting modern security surveillance systems and community policing,” he said, adding that 41 cameras would be installed.