For years, street children have been part and parcel of Nakuru county’s urban community.

With their numbers running into thousands, the Nakuru street children commonly referred to as ‘jango’s’ have formed a constituent that cannot be ignored in the county’s social, economic and political sphere.

Generally known as homeless children wandering the streets while sniffing drugs, a deeper look into the Nakuru street families issue reveals a picture of an elaborate community complete with leadership structures and systems that runs the intricate life of the destitute.

Read: Cheated at Birth: The military-like structure of street families in Nakuru city

The organisation followed a period of consistent exploitation and abuse that resulted from misconceptions perpetrated by different individuals and groups seeking to achieve their own selfish agendas.

A group of street families congregate outside Nakuru Railway station where most of them sleep.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

From harassment by the county administration officers to mistreatment and by fellow jangos, the families are grappling with a myriad of challenges that have made survival in the streets only fit for the fittest.

With an already tarnished image, the street families have been forced to turn to themselves for help and protection in times of threat.

Mr Charles Opiyo, the current chairman of the Nakuru street children revealed that the current biggest challenge facing the street children is theft of children, access to health services and harassment of their members by county askari’s and the exploitation from some individuals.

Charles Opiyo interacts with some of the children on the street outside Nakuru Railway train station.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

Mr Opiyo popularly referred to by the street children as Mzee however said his leadership has put in place a mechanism to account for all its more than 7,000 members and their activities in the county.

According to him, a number of street children were born in the streets while others joined the streets after leaving their homes for different reasons including death of parents, divorce or mistreatment by guardians.

“We know all our members and we can find them anytime. Should something happen to any of them, we will know easily and act depending on the issue,” said Mr Opiyo.

In the name of assisting the street families, Mr Opiyo says a number of people have enriched themselves at the expense of them after using their plight to solicit funding from donors, only to channel it to their own businesses.

“We have been very keen to scrutinize the people coming to help us to be sure they are not trying to exploit us. We do thorough investigation to ensure only genuine donors are able to engage the street children,” said Mr Opiyo.

Also Read: Kihika at One: Will Susan change the narrative of street families in Nakuru?

During the elections the street children were widely accused of being used to disrupt political meetings. However, Mr opiyo distanced his members from the crime saying that they made a resolution never to be used as a tool for hire, as the money that is paid rarely helps them.

He noted that when several of their members were killed in such circumstances some time ago, they agreed never to be used again for political activities.

“Whoever engages in such activities does so in their own volition and carries individual responsibility to whatever happens in the process.”

However, Mtaa Wangu learnt that it was easier for such street children to remain in their dirty and unkempt state than to reform.

According to the street children chairlady Ms Judy Wanjiru, reformed street children face a lot of challenges that always force them back to their original state.

Ms Judy Wanjiru, chairlady of street families in Nakuru during an interview with Mtaa Wangu.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

"Äs leaders we try our best to encourage the street children out of drugs but since they do not get any assistance while reformed, they choose to go back. Everybody seems to be concerned with those in the streets sniffing glue but no one bothers with those who have reformed,” she said.

She noted that the reformed street mothers end up being employed as hawkers in the streets, casual labourers while others join the commercial sex work for lack of an option.

Amidst the street family, there is however a group that has declined to cooperate and is always involved in crimes that is always pointed to street families.

Mr Opiyo noted that the group is involved in muggings, robbery and drug peddling which has resulted in some of them being killed.

Currently, the street families are working closely with the county government in plans to reduce their surge in the streets.

Through their organization, the families are able to get free medical assistance from the public health facilities with the referral from their leaders.

Nakuru county secretary Dr Samuel Mwaura has indicated that the devolved unit has been working on a long term solution to address the street children’s issue in the city.

Related: The role of adoption in ending Nakuru's street families menace

The strategy, he said, will bring together all the players in the children's department to come up with appropriate mechanisms of handling the families through rehabilitation, adoption, counselling and returning them to their families.

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Cheated at Birth: Inside the world of Nakuru street families, where only the fittest survive

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Joseph Openda