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

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Kisoro Municipal Council and the Uganda Police Force picked up 74 children from streets and public spaces in Kisoro Town during a Monday operation described by local authorities as both a public safety and child protection intervention. The children were reportedly found in markets, roadside areas and business centres across the municipality.

According to the report, Principal Community Development Officer Front Birungi said the municipal law enforcement team would assess and profile the children to establish their identities, family backgrounds and home locations. He said the exercise responds to a rising number of children living or working on the streets as Kisoro Town grows, and added that parents or guardians who neglect child protection responsibilities could be summoned.

Kisoro Municipality Mayor John King Mbonigaba said many of the children found in town are believed to come from surrounding villages and, in some cases, neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said children should be in school rather than loitering or working in town, and linked the increase in street children to concerns about theft and negative peer influence.

The operation drew support from Old Market Vendors Chairperson Bosco Niyonzima, who said traders had faced disruptions associated with some street children in the market area. Authorities said the profiling process would continue as they seek to trace families, reunite children with caregivers where possible, and develop longer-term responses to the situation in Kisoro Municipality.