STREET CHILDREN TAKE CHARGE OF MALABA BORDER TERRORISING RESIDENTS

Tororo District officials

The committee overseeing the wellbeing of Orphans and Vulnerable children in Tororo District has expressed concern on the rising number of street children in Malaba border forming gangs to terrorize innocent residents especially at night.

According to the report presented to the meeting at the teachers resource center Tororo by the District Senior Probations Officer Alamai Suzan on Wednesday, these street children smoke opium as they gang up, waylay and rob people at night especially in one of their hot spots known as “Kibuga Kyantisa” in Malaba town.

During the meeting, members heard that these children are powerful and connected to some big people around and rob whoever they land on including a security officer who once lost his valuables to the untouchable children.

The gangs that seem to have overwhelmed the police in Malaba have created several impassable areas and break into parked trailers and individual homes at night.

The committee was also concerned about the flooding street children in Tororo town causing a security threat to the population and their properties.

Jorem Onyango, the District senior Labour officer who chaired the meeting acknowledged the increasing number of street children in both Tororo and Malaba towns and called for an urgent multi stakeholder’s engagement to find a lasting solution to the problem.

The Tororo District Police commander Nuwe said he was hearing of the “Malaba children gang” issue for the first time but pledged to act on it immediately.

Owino Emmanuel, the Tororo Municipal council senior probations officer reiterated a call for an urgent stakeholders meeting to fix the menace of street children in Tororo municipality and also rising theft in Nyangole Sub County.

 Owino said 70% of the children flooding Tororo town are from within with families around town, while others are from neighboring Manafwa district in Bugisu.

He identified a dangerous corner in water village in Tororo town where these children smoke opium, sniff gum and aviation fuel as they plan to cause havoc at night.

Akumu Rebecca, Tororo District Vice LC5 Chairperson expressed shock that children terrorizing Malaba border have always got arrested but surprisingly released immediately by the police in Malaba.

Akumu says these courageous children raid homes; tie the owner of the home before taking whatever they land their hands on.

She says even if you report to police, instead these gang leaders are tipped to disappear.

Okecho Julius, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner Tororo tasked the DPC to urgently take up the issue of Malaba calling it something small that can be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

Okecho allayed people’s fears that “Malaba street children gang’ is defeating security in the area to manage saying government is on record of defeating several rebel groups and therefore, the Malaba issue is a minor one.  

The committee also recommended enforcement of the existing ordinances to address the issue of night fundraising to curb rising teenage pregnancies, school dropouts, child marriages, defilement, child neglect and child labour in the sub counties of Nyangole, Mukjju, Magodes town council, Rubongi, Kalait, Petta, Mella, Nawire, Mwello,Mukujju and Nagongera town council among others.

By Juma Seyyid-Tororo