Are street boys human?
It seems unlikely judging by how they are mishandled by the same government whose responsibility is to feed and clothe them!
In fact, on Wednesday night, law enforcers of the Nakuru County government rounded up 46 street boys and ‘dumped’ them in Baringo forest.
It is alleged that they were ferried to the forest by officials because they were making the town centre dirty.
The appaling incident was revealed via a post on Facebook by Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika while she condemned the unfortunate action.
Moreover, the senator confronted Governor Lee Kinyanjui regarding the situation, wanting justice against those who participated in rounding up the street boys and ‘dumping’ them in the forest.
Shockingly, some of the boys were as young as 10 years!
Fortunately, the boys were rescued thanks to the cooperation between the Kenya Police and the Baringo Country Administration.
The Mistreatment of Street Children
The mishandling of street kids is something that’s not new in this country.
For decades, multitudes of Kenyans have rejected street kids mainly because they see them as a waste of space.
Simply take a walk in town today, and you will see people shunning these kids, or walking over them as they hurry to work.
If that’s not enough, some watchmen and casual labourers even abuse and curse them!
However, we are glad to see that some politicians are taking an active stand against such mistreatment, and ensuring that the human rights of these children are not violated.
We only hope that they are given sufficient shelter, clothing, and the opportunity for rehabilitation so that they can become active contributors to society.
In the long run, it will be beneficial to the country because it will greatly reduce the crime rate as the number of young boys joining criminal gangs will be at a minimum.