Thika West Children’s Officer, Lina Mwangi, has appealed to residents to stop giving food, clothes, and other gifts directly to street children in Thika town.
Speaking during an event at Kianjau Primary School on Monday, April 28, Mwangi explained that providing direct support to street children encourages more children from poor families to leave their homes and turn to the streets.
She pointed out that this trend becomes even more common during school holidays when many vulnerable children no longer have the protection and structure that schools provide.
“As part of the team responsible for child protection and town security, we are kindly requesting the public not to feed or give gifts directly to children on the streets of Thika town,” Mwangi said.
She emphasized that, while the intention behind such acts of kindness is good, it often has unintended consequences that worsen the street child problem.
Mwangi advised that anyone who wishes to help should instead channel their donations through the proper authorities.
She encouraged well-wishers to collaborate with government departments, children’s homes, and the town management to make sure their help reaches the children in a structured and safe way.
“If anyone feels the need to support children in Thika town, they should do so by passing through the Sub-county Children’s Office, the Deputy County Commissioner’s (DCC) office, the Sub-county Administrator, or the Town Manager,” she explained.
In addition to raising concern about feeding street children, Mwangi also spoke about the growing problem of child labour and exploitation, which she said spikes during school breaks.
Many children, she noted, are pushed into doing odd jobs to help provide for their families, a practice she strongly condemned as a form of child abuse and violation of children’s rights.
The children’s officer made these remarks while attending an event organised by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that offered mentorship and counselling services to over 300 children from the Kiandutu slums.
The event aimed to empower the children, educate them about their rights, and encourage them to speak out against any form of abuse.
An official from the hosting NGO also echoed Mwangi’s message, assuring the public that the children had been taught about their rights and trained on how to report cases of mistreatment to the relevant authorities.
The event also received generous support from Thika Town Member of Parliament, Alice Ng’ang’a, who contributed food supplies to the children who took part in the programme, making the day even more successful and memorable for the young participants.
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