Kisoro Council Picks Up 74 Street Children in Safety and Child Protection Drive

Kisoro Municipal Council, together with the Uganda Police Force, has picked up 74 street children in an operation aimed at improving public safety, assessing their welfare needs, and reuniting them with their families.

The Kisoro Municipal Council Law Enforcement team, in partnership with the Uganda Police Force, has detained 74 street children from different areas of Kisoro Town in an operation aimed at boosting public safety and protecting child welfare.

The operation, conducted on Monday, saw the children picked up from markets, roadside areas, and business centres within the municipality.

Speaking at the Municipal Council offices, Principal Community Development Officer Front Birungi said the children will undergo assessment and profiling to establish their identities, homes, and family backgrounds.

Birungi said the exercise targets the increasing number of children living and working on the streets as Kisoro Town continues to expand.

“Our goal is to keep the municipality safe from street-related crime and at the same time protect the welfare of these children,” Birungi said.

He cautioned parents and guardians against neglecting their children, warning that those who fail to comply with child protection guidelines will be summoned.

Birungi noted that tracing the families of some of the children has been challenging because several of them could not provide contacts for their parents or guardians.

Kisoro Municipality Mayor John King Mbonigaba said most of the children found on the streets are not originally from Kisoro Town but come from surrounding villages and neighbouring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He reiterated that children should be in school rather than spending time working or loitering in town.

“The increasing number of street children is a challenge to the municipality. It can lead to theft and other crimes as some join bad peer groups,” Mbonigaba noted.

The operation was welcomed by Old Market Vendors Chairperson Bosco Niyonzima, who said it would help address challenges affecting businesses in commercial areas.

“We have had many street children in Old Market, and some have been involved in activities that disrupt business,” Niyonzima said.

Authorities say profiling of the children will continue as they work to reunite them with their families and develop lasting solutions to the growing street children challenge in Kisoro Municipality.