Rehabilitation Center for Street Children in Nairobi County

Construction of the Sh.150 million rehabilitation center for resettlement of street families within Nairobi central business district on a 40-acre piece of land has kicked off in Ruai.

The Nairobi County Government project had been proposed last year, and the first phase will be able to accommodate 1,400 street children and it is expected to be complete by December this year.

Facilities expected to be within the first phase of the project include an Early Childhood Development block, ablution block, dining area, health center and hostels.

The second phase will comprise of boys and girls’ hostels, multipurpose floor, a vocational training center that will be providing skills on masonry, carpentry and mechanical skills training and a counselling facility.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said that all the children in the rehabilitation center will be able to access formal education adding that the educational centers within the premises will be modelled on the Starehe Boys Centre and school.

A study by United Nations Fund (Unicef) in 2007 showed that Nairobi accommodates more than 60,000 street children, and the number has recently increased especially after the 2007/8 post-election violence in Kenya, that made most people move from their homes thus some ending up in the streets.

Most of these families are found around the areas of Globe Cinema, Muthurwa and Wakulima Markets in Nairobi.  Among the families, girls make up 25 per cent of the population while boys take the remaining 75 per cent.

Some reasons that lead to children ending up in the streets include harassment (sexual and otherwise), a general danger of violence, sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, abuse, neglect, hunger, lack of shelter, pregnancy and lack of sanitary conditions.

Article by Vera Shawiza.