Namuyanja mothers of 93 former street children

Mar 18, 2023

She has been labelled a terrorist and imprisoned but her love for the children has not waned. 

Namuyanja teaching children to read and write. Photos by Ritah Mukasa

Ritah Mukasa
Journalist @New Vision

Since she was 13 years old; Hajara Namuyanja has been rescuing children from the streets and rehabilitating them. 

At 29-years-old, she is raising 93 boys and girls in her home. She feeds, counsels and takes them to school. 

She has been labelled a terrorist and imprisoned but her love for the children has not waned. 

Namuyanja leading the children in prayer.

Namuyanja leading the children in prayer.

She is popular in the different ghettos, police stations and streets of Kampala.

Namuyanja was born and raised by her grandmother Hajati Agiri Salimu from Katwe Kinyoro, a suburb of Kampala. Her mother died when she was giving birth to her.  

“I grew up from a family of 36 people,” she says.

Hajati Salimu had one biological child who provided for the family and educated most of the children including Namuyanja and her two siblings.

“Uncle was very kind. He took us to school and ensured we did not lack. He had a shop in Kikuubo and several rental units,” she says.

She teaching the children during her free time.

She teaching the children during her free time.

Namuyanja went to Katwe Pimary School, Police Children’s school and Kitante Hill School. While in senior one, she started her journey with street children. 

 “I met seven boys at Shoprite grounds and they touched my heart. I befriended them and realized, their immediate need was food. She started getting for them leftover food from school. The numbers kept growing.

Two of the boys; Kenneth Kalungi and Francis Barrow are currently at university.

Moving to their first home

By the end of 2009, Namuyanja was looking after over 80 street kids. 

One day, while taking lunch with Namuyanja, Police rounded them up and took them to Kampiringisa rehabilitation center.

 “Afande Margaret from Jinja road police was pleased to find that at my age, I was silently looking after all those children,” she says. 

“She took some kids to homes and organizations but others refused to go there without me,” she adds.

Namuyanja left Kampiringisa with 25 children who were between 7-10 years old. Her uncle offered them a shell house in Katwe.

“They did not mind sleeping on the floor so long as they were with me,” she says.

Hajati Salimu gave them free water and a toilet. Namuyanja continued getting food from her school and restaurants.

As time went by, the community got used to the children. They started giving them odd jobs such as washing cars, selling chapattis and cleaning homes for a pay.

In the evening after school, Namuyanja would counsel the children and teach them to read and write.

“We were family. I set up rules and regulations. Whoever broke them would be excommunicated. It helped to tame them,” she says.

In 2011, while in senior three, she went with the children to get free food from Watoto church on Bombo road. There she met an American student named Alice. Their story touched her and she enrolled Kalungi in primary seven.

Double tragedy made her strong

Unfortunately, in 2012, Namuyanja’s uncle, Saidi Tebazaalwa died. Hajati Salimu also died two months later.

Just as luck might have it, that time, American woman called Deborah sponsored Namuyanja for her A levels at Lubiri SSS.

A year later, fight over her grandmother’s property ensued and in that mix, Namuyanja and the street children were evicted.

“We had nowhere to go. I did not want the kids to go back on the streets,” she recalls.

 “I sold my laptop and rented a two-room house in Nsambya at sh180, 000. I moved in with the kids and continued getting food from restaurants. Some sold scrap,” she says.

Some days they slept on empty stomachs or ate porridge and popcorn.

Luckily, she got a sponsor who paid for them rent, enrolled all kids in school and fed them. He later pulled out.

They now survive on the mercy of well-wishers.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Namuyanja was locked up on allegations that she was recruiting children into terrorism.

“I went through hell. My kids were also traumatized but God saw us through,” she says. They stay in Kyebando, a suburb of Kampala.

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