Roy Lumbe and Hillary Mageka 

Nakuru County Government is on the spot for rounding up dozens of street children who were later dumped at Chemususu Forest in Baringo last year.

A report by the Senate revealed that county officials, held in detention and later on in the night of February 6, 2019, dumped at least 41 street children in the forest.

According to Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare report, the incident left at least five children aged between 10 and 12 unaccounted for to date. 

The nine-member committee has expressed concern that several other counties, including Uasin Gishu and Baringo were applying the same methods.  

Lawmakers now want appropriate measures taken, including necessary policy and legislative interventions, to ensure street children across the country are protected  and treated with dignity. 

Surprisingly, the Senate established that despite the incident having been reported to the Central Police Station in Nakuru under occurrence book number, 69/7/2/2019 and subsequent follow ups by DCI detectives, the incidents remains inconclusive. 

Senate observed that counties including Baringo, Uasin Gishu, and Nakuru have adopted a correctional, reactive and repressive institutional approach of addressing the plight of street children, and as such view them as delinquents and a threat to public order.  

Comprehensive report

“This is evident by their obsession with forced removal of the children from the streets, forced detention in addition to other extreme measures like dumping them in a forest,” the report. 

Report further noted that there exists no policy framework in the country to address issues pertaining to children in difficult circumstances and more specifically, street children and families.  

It further states that inasmuch as there exists a national framework for child protection in Kenya that dates back to 2002, exploitation including but not limited to the Children’s Act 2001, that nothing much had been done. 

On Wednesday, the Senators recommended that the Inspector General of the National Police Service takes up the matter for investigation, and conclusively finalise the case and report to the Senate within two months. 

Johnson Sakaja-led committee also wants the National Council for Children’s Services to follow up on the issue and present to them a comprehensive report in 30 days. 

Further,  the committee wants the National Council for Children’s Services report to them within two months, on the compliance level of Nakuru and all other counties. 

Yesterday, former Naivasha MP John Mututho said a number of the street children are still unaccounted.  

Mututho said the county  was inhumane in handling the street children matter.  

“Politics aside, this is an unfortunate issue. Most of those people who did this are parents.

I fail to understand how one can be comfortable dumping someone’s child in a forest,” said Mututho. 

Disputes report

 He has taken a swipe at the County Assembly, saying it has failed to keep the Executive on check.

According to Mututho, the MCAs have never given  recommendations on  those culpable and what should be done.  

Human rights defender Sankale ole Nasieku on the other hand  anyone found culpable, regardless of their social status should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.  

Ole Nasieku was among those who petitioned Senate to investigate the matter.

However, Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has criticised and disputed the report, terming its conclusions and recommendations as “at best a joke” . 

“We have received news of a report tabled before the Senate to discuss purported handling of the street children in Nakuru,” he said yesterday in a statement.

 The statement added: “We uphold the role of the Senate in oversight matters, but fault deliberate distortions manufactured to fit a political narrative.” 

He pointed an accusing finger at Senator Susan Kihika for using his colleagues to settle political scores. 

“Senate must rise beyond the narrow interests of specific members keen on using it as a shield,” he said.