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Kenya

Time to give street families a chance, not judge

“I insisted and after a few days he agreed. I took him to hospital where the doctor confirmed that he was indeed ill,” she recalls.

According to Wanjiku, the boy lost both his parents at a tender age and after sometime he left his Kanyariri home in Kikuyu constituency for the streets.

Capital FM News visited several street families within the city in a bid to establish, how they view the “rest of the world.”

The first group is based at the Globe Interchange ‘base 184’.

The encounter with them paints a picture of noble souls who have been exposed to the harsh reality of society. If given a chance, they can be of positive impact to the country.

Among the group were seven boys who had physical injuries as a result of beatings by county askaris.

Most of those who had injuries were unwilling to narrate their ordeals but Gerald Omondi, a 13 year-old street boy volunteered.

“They were beaten by ‘kanjus’ (county askaris) without any explanation,” Omondi explained. “We took them to Kenyatta National Hospital…that’s where we normally go. You are given free medical services.”

His request to the Capital FM crew was: “Go ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to protect us. He is the boss and if he says that, it will happen.”

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Some expressed interest in joining school if given a chance while some are content with their current status. The County Government of Nairobi has since set aside 40 acres of land in Ruai where it intends to settle street families.

The plan is set to be implemented in collaboration with the national government in a bid to relocate the families and build for them a rehabilitation centre, a school and vocational training institution.

If it comes to fruition, it means the street families mostly children will live in humane conditions. Those under 16 years will acquire formal education while the rest will undergo vocational training.

“It is a good move but they need time. Most of them have a story to tell,” Pastor Muturi explains.

“They cannot be reformed in one day. People need to give them a hearing. They have feelings just like any other person living in a posh house.”

To Muturi, a person’s dignity cannot be defined by his status of living.

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