Government must fix Karimojong street children dilemma

The constant presence on the country’s roads and streets of needy children from Karamoja Sub-region is becoming an enigma. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Street children
  • Our view: Government should also initiate deliberate programmes and provide amenities that would see the Karimojong children become productive in their region so that the temptation for them to go out begging is reduced is curbed once and for all.

The constant presence on the country’s roads and streets of needy children from Karamoja Sub-region is becoming an enigma. Recently, Youth and Children Affairs state minister Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi said police in Napak District had arrested some people over allegations of bringing children on the streets to beg.

According to the minister, there are about 10,000 street children in Uganda and 6,000 of these are found on the streets in Kampala and Wakiso, and many are from Karamoja.

These street children have been sighted as far as Kenya and there is a growing presence of these vulnerable children in the remote suburbs of Kampala, too.

It is a despicable sight of these children seen to maraud and ambush people on the streets and scavenge for food. There has been an increased influx of street children while local authorities are not coming in equal measure to mitigate this worrying trend.

This has been a long standing issue where other Ugandans are beginning to believe that the sight of Karimojong children on the street is normal.

This exposes the children to various hazards, including weather vagaries, unscrupulous people and health risks that will require medical attention.

Now, the accusations that there could be people and organisations that are abetting the vice by encouraging these children to go on the streets is a drawback. Government should get interested in why individuals would lure young children from their local communities to go begging, there by killing their creativity and initiative at their formative stage.

Government should also initiate deliberate programmes and provide amenities that would see the Karimojong children become productive in their region so that the temptation to go out begging is reduced.

Similarly, individuals and organisations abetting this vice should be held to account because they are killing an entire generation by stunting these children’s potential to be productive and creative.

What is the motive of such people in luring children to beg on the streets! Punitive measures should be suffered by the perpetrators of the vice so that the trend is reversed.