Alarm over the increasing number of families sleeping in the streets

Principal Secretary for the State Department of Special Programmes Josephta Mukobe (left) gives foods stuff to street family living in Kisumu. [Denish Ochieng/Standard]

Agencies that rescue vulnerable children from streets have raised the alarm over increasing number of adults sleeping on streets.

A report titled Kisumu Quarterly Street Census shows that nearly 90 children are sleeping in public spaces despite spirited efforts to get them off the streets.

The report, released by a consortium, further shows that at last count there were 219 adults on the streets, a figure that is certain to elicit debate on the provision of affordable housing for families.

“The majority of children are sleeping in the bus park, where they are also spending with adults,” part of the report reads.

County Director of Children’s Services Humphrey Wandeo said the number of street children had dropped by nearly 52 per cent, while that of adults had risen by 13 per cent since 2016.

The report indicates that in 2017, the number of adults living in the streets was 90, while in 2018 it increased to 159.

This year the figure has already hit 215, with experts warning that the situation is likely to worsen in the coming months.

The sight of people sleeping on pavements in the central business district late in the night has become a common one. Others camp in the bus park.

Alarmed by the rise in homelessness, some groups have changed tact in the hopes of addressing the problem.

One model by the Agape Children’s Ministry involves reuniting the vulnerable children with their families during a rehabilitation phase that is normally a period of three months after rescue.

“Most of the children in the streets have homes. Although some are also orphans, their backgrounds can be traced,” said Chris Page, the firm's director.