Mombasa County has launched a significant crackdown on street urchins and street families due to rising concerns about crime and public safety.
This operation follows an increasing number of reports that these individuals have been harassing pedestrians, robbing motorists, and engaging in daylight thefts.
Several street families had even turned places like the historic Mbaraki Memorial Cemetery into makeshift homes and hideouts, further aggravating the situation.
The crackdown is being led by the County Chief Officer for Governance, Abdallah Daleno, in collaboration with local police and the County Inspectorate.
“This is unacceptable. We cannot live like we are in a gangster state,” Daleno said after the arrest of at least 50 of them.
They aim to rid the city’s streets of these disturbances while also developing rehabilitation strategies to offer street families alternative livelihoods, reducing their reliance on criminal activities.
The street boys have become gang-like, attacking and robbing people at the orders of their leaders, who are usually strategically positioned, monitoring the attack.
The boys are divided into groups, with each gang ruling over a particular territory.
No gang is allowed to operate in another’s territory.
Once they rob, there are particular meeting points where they meet to take stock of the loot.
This is however done only when the gang leader arrives.
