Sh5.4b earmarked for street children

STREET CHILDREN    KCCA 

KAMPALA - The relocation of street children, especially Kampala, has seen over 725 of them resettled in various children's homes across the country or rehabilitated by the gender ministry in the last four months.

To strengthen the rehabilitation strategy and the wellbeing of the street children, Cabinet on Monday approved sh5.4b.

The state minister for children affairs, Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, told journalists on Tuesday, at the Uganda Media Centre (UMC), that: "The sh5.4b was approved by Cabinet to enhance the plan for the rehabilitation and resettlement of street children. Cabinet also resolved that local governments should budget for resettlement of street children and pass by-laws that prohibit giving handouts to street children."

This year, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) passed the Child Protection Ordinance, which the Government, through the gender ministry, employed in the relocation, resettlement, and rehabilitation of street children.

The KCCA Child Protection Ordinance also prohibits giving handouts to street children. Also under the ordinance, anybody who is found engaging street children in harmful employment will be imprisoned for six months or fined about sh40,000.

Nakiwala yesterday said Cabinet lauded the gender ministry for removing children off the streets, especially in Kampala, guiding that more effort should be directed towards rehabilitation, counselling, educating and empowering them to become better citizens.

"In our effort to resettle these children, we take into account their best interest and give priority to that.

If the child wants to study, we work toward that. Those who want to be reunited with their families, we also help them to do so. We also empower families where they come from so that we control the push factors that drive these children to the streets," she said.

Recent research conducted in four urban centres that are known for high numbers of street children (Kampala, Jinja, Mbale, and Busia) indicated that there are about 15,000 children living on streets.

Recent mounting of CCTV cameras in the greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (Kampala, Mukono, and Wakiso) has also enabled government officials to identify spots where street children dwell.

In June, Parliament approved sh3.4b supplementary budget for the gender ministry to remove children off the streets across the country.

Cabinet has agreed to construct specialised facilities in Masulita and Koblin, to accommodate and resettle street children.

"Ever since we started our operations, I must say, and the public should testify to this, the number of street children on our streets has reduced significantly," Nakiwala said.

KCCA to demolish dilapidated street children shelters

Shelters, brothels and makeshift houses harbouring street children, their mothers and caregivers are set to be demolished by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) as one of the moves aimed at rescuing children.

 

The move by KCCA in partnership, with the district leaders of Napak and other stakeholders, is meant to have them repatriated and resettled with their parents in Napak.

According to KCCA, the makeshift homes in the parishes of Kisenyi I, II, III, Katwe I, II, Kagugube, and Mengo-Kisenyi are dilapidated, filthy, smelly, small and unhealthy for the occupants. These makeshifts house about 10 people, both adults and children.

During a stakeholders meeting, the leaders, elders, and Members of Parliament of Napak said the children face sexual abuse, child labour, and exploitation, yet it is safe back home.

"We have resolved as district leaders from Kampala, Napak, and stakeholders to repatriate street children and have their shelters demolished so that we rescue them," the Kampala Central Division Mayor, Charles Sserunjogi said.

The District LCV Chairperson Joseph Lomonyanga, explained that children claim that there's insecurity in the Karimajong region, which he said is not true.

Lomonyanga added, that Napak district council resolved that any parent who gives away his or her child to be brought to Kampala, will be arrested, charged and prosecuted.

He revealed that the district recently rescued 113 children who were travelling to Kampala and six parents were arrested, four were remanded and two were convicted.  

The meeting which was intended to forge a way for the resettlement of street children was attended by the Members of Parliament Napak, woman MP Namoe Stella Nyomera, District LCV chairperson Joseph Lomonyanga, the Chief Administrator Officer, local leaders and KCCA central councilors led by Charles Serunjogi. 

The Country Director, Dwelling Places, Damom Wamara revealed that in their recent survey, they discovered that there are about 15,000 street children in four districts of Jinja, Kampala, Mbale, and Iganga.

He added that of these 4600 were leaving and working on the streets of Kampala.

Wamara said that these children are promised jobs by their relatives, while others are told that they are going to school yet this is not what they find in the city.

He added that the girls revealed that they are told to beg for money on behalf those who bring them and others are forced into sex at night as a way of topping up on the money they are tasked to bring.

The girls, he said, are told by their caregivers to bring sh20, 000 from begging; once they fail they are forced into prostitution, while others are told to sort gains in St. Balikuddembe market.

Some of the children according to Dwelling Places findings had contracted sexually transmitted diseases, while others were pregnant as early as 12 years. 

Gender ministry backs KCCA on handouts to street kids

Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development joined the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to enforce a law prohibiting individuals from giving money to street children.

Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Florence Nakiwala announced on Thursday that the ministry would be part of an inter-agency team comprising several other ministries and agencies implementing the ordinance.

The KCCA Child Protection Ordinance 2019 is intended to protect children in Kampala from engaging in harmful activities, such as selling alcohol, which is not covered by the current legislation.

Once passed into law, anybody found engaging street children in harmful employment will be imprisoned for six months or pay a fine of two currency points (about sh40,000). A currency point is equivalent to sh20,000.
"If we embark on this, it will be hard for these children to survive on the streets otherwise continuous giving them of handouts will only encourage them to keep on the streets," she said.

The minister made the remarks while launching an operation to resettle street children that started recently at two rehabilitation sites in Kampala and Wakiso districts.

The number of children on the streets stands at 15,000 according to records from the gender ministry.

Nakiwala, however, informed the media that the gender ministry in partnership with the ministry of internal affairs and KCCA were able to withdraw, rehabilitate and resettle up to 8,070 children in the past operations.

"This exercise has not been consistent and so the number of children on the streets has kept building up whenever there is a break in the exercise, but with the recently approved allocation, I'm positive that we will yield results this time around," she said.

Nakiwala, however, noted that the success of this exercise highly depends on the cooperation of the public and local governments.

The minister said that with the increased funding in the cause, they are hopeful that this will cease to be a problem.

Relatedly, the traffic police boss Stephen Kasiima said street children have become a problem on the roads as they often interfere and slow down traffic thus the need to be evacuated from the streets as soon as possible.

"They have scratched people's vehicles and they become violent especially at night and some have actually graduated into criminals, so this problem needs to be dealt with urgently," he said.

Kasima said with the help of the CCTV, they will be able to identify the spots where the street children dwell and then take action with the help of the Kampala Metropolitan Police.