Insecurity in Nairobi: a case of street children in Nairobi central business district

Abstract

The situation of street children in Nairobi in particular is of great concern to the government of Kenya mainly due to the socio-economic impact it has on the residents, businesses, property owners and individuals in the town and the government in terms of investments by local and foreign investors. The main study objectives were to determine the criminal activities that street children commit and their effects on the economy, to establish the socio-economic factors that contribute to the criminal behavior among street children and also to assess how street children relate to the law enforcement agencies, the public and the business community. The study examines the most common types of crimes committed by street children, the relationship between street children and security agencies, and how their criminal behaviour affect the country’s economic growth. It also examines contributing factors that influence children to run from their homes to the streets. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were employed to identify respondents to identify respondents. The data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected by administering structured questionnaires to a sample drawn from business people, individuals, property owners and security workers in Nairobi. Secondary data was obtained from policy abstracts, government reports and annual reports from relevant ministries. The study is aimed at providing recommendations to help policy makers in addressing the problem of street children by taking up prevention and control measures and addressing the detrimental effects the street children phenomenon has on the economy of the country.