Child beggars suspected to have been trafficked from Tanzania have invaded Nanyuki Town in Laikipia County months after they were repatriated back to their country.
The minors, all with various forms of disabilities are either placed at strategic places or driven in wheelchairs soliciting for alms from traders and pedestrians.
Some of the children appear to be aged below three years and are poorly dressed by their handlers, subjecting them to harsh weather conditions.
A section of traders termed the frequent influx of the minors as a nuisance noting that there are children homes in the county that support those with special needs.
“If indeed these children are foreigners, the government should move to arrest those behind this racket to end it once and for all. It is obvious there are influential people behind this child trafficking syndicate and they should be arrested to face the law,” said Mr Chris Maina, a bar owner in the town where three disabled minors made a visit last Saturday.
Laikipia County Children’s Officer Ezekiel Omwansa said the children have been repatriated three times in the recent past but always find their way back in unclear circumstances.
Mr Omwansa said those behind the syndicate could be exploiting the loophole of the tedious process of taking back the minors to their country of origin.
“To send them home, they have to be arrested and taken to court as children in need of care and protection. Then the court in liaison with children and probation departments may issue repatriation orders to the Officer Commanding Nanyuki Police Station (OCS) who will house the children in the cells until necessary arrangements are made to transport them either to Isebania or Namanga border crossing points,” the children officer explained.
Before embarking on the long journey, police must first establish a link with their colleagues in Tanzania to receive them at the boundary of the two countries.
Laikipia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri told the Nation that his office and the relevant security organs were aware about the presence of child beggars in the county.
“I am aware there are some young children from a neighbouring country engaged in begging and we even know that at night they are housed inside a certain lodging where they live in deplorable conditions. Plans are underway to have the children repatriated through a court process and the adult handlers arrested to face the law,” said the administrator.
Mr Omwansa who spoke on phone from Nakuru said the matter of child trafficking for purposes of collecting alms from unsuspected citizens is set to be discussed next week before the relevant government agencies with a view of coming up with a lasting solution to the recurring menace which exposes the foreign minors to various hazards.
