Traders who champion the cause of homeless children

There is a saying that “every market has its madman”. In Kenya, perhaps we could also quip that every town has its vagrants, what with the large number of homeless families prowling our urban centres.

Homeless people are such a ubiquitous sight in our towns that Nkubu, Meru County, where none is to be seen, has become something of an anomaly.

Despite having a thriving economy powered by a bounty of banana, tea and milk earnings, Nkubu town has not had resident street families for the last eight years.

This is all thanks to a rehabilitation programme started by the local business community in 2011.

Spearheading the initiative was South Imenti Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Geoffrey Kinoti, former Nkuene MCA Nicholas Mburugu and Taita chief Charles Kirimi.

To make the initiative sustainable, the traders adopted a street monitoring approach, where they report any sightings of a street child to the authorities.

Philanthropy

Mr Kinoti, popularly known as GK Kinoti, says the programme was born out of his family’s annual philanthropy where they hold a party for the destitute every December.

 “In 2011, we held our annual party at Huruma Children’s Home and very many street children came. Some of the street boys who had come of age requested that we support them for initiation.

The number of those who wanted to be circumcised was so high that I decided to involve the business community,” Kinoti recounts.

He says the traders donated money and food to facilitate the seclusion of the 58 street boys for 21 days as they healed and underwent rehabilitation.

“During the 21 days, we were able to identify those who wanted to go back home, attend school or venture into business,” he says.

 “Some were reconciled and reintegrated with their families while others were taken to various children’s homes. The older ones were given wheelbarrows and jikos to start maize-roasting ventures,” he says.

Mr Kinoti notes that, after helping rehabilitate the street children, they resolved to have a sustained campaign to ensure street families do not thrive in Nkubu town. The hardware owner, who is also the Nkubu Rotary Club chairman, says if the towns are not checked, street families return almost immediately they are removed.

 Identifying street children

“The secret to our success is engagement of all stakeholders. The traders have also owned the initiative and are very vigilant in identifying street children. Due to my philanthropy work, we have a close working relationship with many children’s homes,” the businessman says.

The sentiments are backed by Mr Mburugu, who says they have been keen on establishing the family of the street child to ensure that they are reunited.

 “If the child comes from out of the nearby community, we ensure they have been taken up by children’s homes. We work very closely with the administration to nip the vice in the bud.” Father Barnabas Baariu, who has been leading the street children rehabilitation initiative, says only 12 homeless people were recorded in Nkubu this year compared to Timau, a smaller town, with over 400.

Mr Kirimi says that a number of street people emerge every now and then but close monitoring ensures they do not stay homeless for long.

 “Glue sniffing and children dealing in scrap metal are the first indicators of street life. When we spot children and youths with this behaviour, we go for them. It is very easy to identify and nab the street children when the schools are open,” Mr Kirimi says.

Mr Kinoti believes that having people sleeping on the streets is a sign of a dysfunctional society.

Recent data by a local rehabilitation initiative shows that there are more than 1,000 street persons in the five towns of Meru County.

Timau has the highest population of street families followed by Meru, Maua, Laare, Mutuati, Kiutine and Mikinduri respectively.

According to a national census done by the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SFRTF), which is under the ministry of social services, there are 46,639 people living in the streets.

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