Stopping giving handouts to street children is treating mere symptom

I write in response to a story in the Daily Monitor of June 1, revealing the great intention by state minister for Youth and Children Affairs Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi to criminalise the giving of handouts to street children and to close all illegal children’s ‘care homes’. Accompanying that story was a picture of a Karimojong girl-child begging on the street.
In today’s Uganda, the Karimojong children constitute nearly 60 per cent (ANPPCAN Uganda, 2015) of the street population in Uganda towns. While it is common to find street children in developing countries, the fact that one community constitutes a very clear majority of street children reveals a problem somewhere.
I suppose that everyone is aware that Karamoja’s case is unique and requires unique attention. Characterised by a long spell of drought and being the most underprivileged sub-region in Uganda, Karamoja requires equity in development agenda, and that is supposedly the reason for the formation of a specialised ministry in charge of the region’s affairs.
Whereas I agree with every well-intended effort to transform the region, I think Karamoja’s problem is approached the wrong way. The massive movement of the Karimojong children to Kampala for a humiliating begging mission is a fundamental change from the nomadic pastoral life, where they used to enjoy milk and meat realised from their numerous cattle, goats and sheep. Moreover, by tradition, a typical Karimojong and their animals are inseparable and so finding a Karimojong begging on the street means there is a problem with what used to be their traditional source of livelihoods - the animals. So where the animals have gone, nobody knows. One could contend that depending on animals alone is not good enough, but of course, any diversification must be appropriate to the local conditions and wishes of the people.
There are several attempts by governments and non-governmental organisations to introduce new interventions in Karamoja, but have failed probably owing to the wrong approaches, lack of involvement of local community in planning, and inadequate monitoring, among others. As stated earlier, Karamoja has even got a ministry supposedly created to deal with sub-regions matters and coordinate government programmes in the area. But the swarm of children on the streets makes one question whether that ministry has a programme that handles children issues.
It would be necessary to equip that ministry and allow it to have the power to work together with other departments, local governments in the region, the community and development partners to design programmes aimed to improve the welfare of children and the entire population. The mere creation of a ministry without furnishing it with all it requires to transform Karamoja can frustrate even the good intention of the staff in that ministry.
Lasting food security, a stable socio-economic condition and general economic empowerment of the Karimojong would help in stopping cases of child labour and children running to the streets. The government and non-governmental programmes and project designed for Karamoja should not be based on assumptions, but on issues that are proven to be suitable and accepted by the population and sustained for their advancement.
Regarding food insecurity, for example, we are already aware that the region receives insufficient rainfall, which is inadequate for production of food that can feed the growing population. Therefore, instead of fighting a disaster such as famine when it has hit and even claimed lives, the government would design and implement a comprehensive long-term food production programme to avert hunger. We would then have, for example, vast grain reserves to help during hunger and non-seasonal valley dams to provide water for animals, among other services that the Karimojong deserve as citizens of Uganda.
Assigning the right people to deal with the real problem in the right way will enable our children on the street to go back home and enrol in school. For if the condition were conducive at home, we would not have Karimojong children on the street. Therefore, I would suggest to minister Kiyingi and government that stopping giving handouts to street children and closing illegal children’s homes, though they are good moves in an attempt to save them from dangers associated with street life, will be merely treating the symptom, but not the problem.

Mr Okello is a graduate student of Education and International Development, University College London, UK