Factors that influence growth of street children population in Kitale town, Trans-nzoia county-Kenya

Abstract

Street children can be defined as children for whom the street (including unoccupied dwellings and Wasteland) has become a habitual abode and /or source of livelihood, and who are not adequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults. International Catholic Children's Bureau, 1985, p. 58).In 2000, UN ICEF estimated that there were 250,000 children in this category in Kenya. At the same time, UN AIDS estimated that there were 624,000 maternal and double orphans under the age of 15 living in Kenya. Both statistics are increasing rapidly. The increase in the number of street children in cities is a global tragedy Agnelli, S. (1986). It is estimated that there are approximately 700 Street Children in Kitale town. The upsurge in the number of street children in Kitale has been attributed to the hardships in neighbouring pastoralist counties such as Pokot and Turkana, which are often faced with drought and famine, AIDS and longstanding issue of squatters in the county but no research has ever been done to proof this. Most of these children are involved in begging, pickpocketing, drug trafficking, child prostitution, scavenging, directing motorists to parking spaces and hawking (Onyango 1988). Children who live and work on the streets are often the victims of violence, sexual exploitation, neglect, and human rights violations (UNICEF, 2000). For example, street children throughout the world are abused and sometimes murdered by police, other authorities, and individuals who are supposed to protect them. When there are no other means of survival, street children with and without formal family contacts may resort to prostitution for survival. They are extremely vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the street Children population in Kitale town. The target population was 730 which included 700 street Children and 30 managers of the institutions working with the Children in Trans-Nzoia Street Children rehabilitation centers. After obtaining verbal consent, children were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to determine how many of them live permanently on the wastelands, those who live with guardians but spent most of their day on the streets, those who are double orphans, single orphans, those with both Parents, those with single parents and those whose parents are divorced, separated or alcoholics. After assembling and organizing completed instruments, the researcher used descriptive statistics to analyze data. Quantitative data was analyzed using the descriptive statistical tools of average, mean, percentages and frequencies. This data was presented in terms of tables, graphs and charts. In analyzing general and demographic information the researcher computed percentages of the respondents who provided data. Qualitative data on the other hand was organized and summarized into opinions, and report relevant to this study