7 November 2007
editorial
Nairobi — Many genuine individuals and organisations are doing a good job looking after orphans and other needy children.
However, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of bogus groups or individuals supposedly moved by the plight of street children, but whose real motivation is to use this as a means to enrich themselves.
Some of these crooks have gone around collecting children and accommodating them in supposed safe havens, where they end up living in squalid conditions. Their supposed benefactors receive assistance from charitable organisations, which they divert to their own use as the young ones continue to suffer.
It is for this reason that many Kenyans familiar with the makeshift, ill-equipped hovels used to trap donor assistance will welcome the introduction of new tough Government rules targeting bogus children's homes.
In this long overdue move, the Government is rightly warning that all such homes that will not have been registered with the National Council for Children's Services by the end of next month will be closed.
The director of Children's Services, Mr Ahmed Hussein, says in a circular that many of the homes have failed to comply with a directive issued two years ago, requiring them to register afresh.
Those familiar with the suffering subjected to needy children will wholly welcome the circular. In fact, the Government has been lenient, having given too much time to the proprietors of children's homes to comply with the rules and meet certain basic requirements.
It is a great opportunity to rid this vital service of crooks and ensure that those who attempt to sneak back are not only blocked but also severely punished.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
