When Nancy Ndegwa, popularly known as Mama Streets, received information about an attack on two youths linked to street families by men wielding rungus onTuesday, she became deeply concerned.

In the wake of insecurity cases in Nakuru town, some civilians had reportedly been moving around within the city centre over the past week, targeting street children and assaulting them.

Some of these street children took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. Following the incident, Nancy says she decided to come to town to find out more.

At around 11:10 am on June 4, she arrived in the city centre and shortly after, drama unfolded.

Just minutes later, she was arrested after stepping in to defend some street children who were being apprehended by police. She was taken to the Central Police Station.

“It was at the station that I learned some people are targeting me,” she says.

Nancy, who was arrested alongside five street youths, said a senior police officer spoke to her in a tone she described as threatening.

According to her, the officer warned her against continuing with her feeding programme, suggesting that it was contributing to the growing presence of street families in the town.

"He told me that business operators and local authorities believe my program helps street children survive in town, thereby increasing their numbers," she says. "The message was clear and it felt more like a threat than a conversation."

She was eventually released after human rights defenders intervened on her behalf.

Now, Nancy feels that her mission has been misrepresented and hijacked. Her compassionate work to feed and minister to street families is being recast as something sinister, a narrative that paints her not as a caregiver, but as an enabler of crime.

"They are shaping a narrative that by feeding these children, I’m making the crime situation worse," she says in frustration.

Efforts to reach the Nakuru East Sub- County Police Commander Samson Adanje through calls and messages to his public phone number were futile.

At the time of publishing the report he had not responded to these claims.

In recent weeks, Nakuru has faced rising concerns over insecurity, particularly around matatu stops, where some customers have raised the issue of thefts.

These incidents have been allegedly linked to certain individuals among the street families, sparking growing tension between business owners, and outreach workers like Nancy.

“You cannot do a blanket sweep and assume all street children are thieves. There are children as young as two to twelve years-old who can be rehabilitated and absorbed into family systems. Yet they are being caught up in these street fights,” she emphasizes.

She challenges the government to take a more structured and humane approach.

“Can the government find a way of getting those over 18 years off the streets and have a solid plan to rehabilitate the rest? Fighting in the streets using police is not a realistic way toward a lasting solution.”

For now, all she hopes is that people will understand the true nature of her work.

As the founder of Realz Hand of Love, Nancy has been working to restore dignity and hope to street-connected children through initiatives like the city feeding program and Ibada Mtaani, a spiritual outreach effort.

A meal, a conversation, a calling: The inspiring journey of Nakuru’s 'Mama Street'

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