Mombasa County Government has launched a crackdown on street urchins and street families who have been a nuisance to residents.
Lately, the Port City of Mombasa has witnessed a surge in street families who have jammed all the major streets in the CBD to the chagrin of pedestrians and shoppers.
They harass pedestrians and motorists in equal measure. Some even rob shoppers in broad daylight. In April, social media was awash with a video of a shopper being mugged moments after he stepped out of a supermarket along Haile Selassie Road.
The street families have turned the historical Mbaraki Memorial Cemetery into their abode and a hideout.
County Chief Officer in charge of Governance and Serikali Mtaani Abdallah Daleno on Saturday led County Inspectorate Officers in the clampdown on the major streets.
He vowed to make sure the tourist city is safe amid reports of street urchins and street families terrorizing residents.
“They have been robbing and attacking many people. We have just arrested a street urchin who had inappropriately touched a woman’s breasts. We want to make sure Mombasa is free from criminals,” stated Daleno along the busy Digo Road in the CBD.
He noted that they will partner with the National Government to devise a strategy of rehabilitating the street urchins to earn a living instead of mugging people.
“We are doing a mop-up in collaboration with the Police to rid the town of muggers, pickpockets, and robbers who have infiltrated the town,” stated the Chief Officer.
The devolved government is keen to enable businesses to thrive devoid of disturbances from the street urchins, leveraging the good relationship between the County Inspectorate and the Police, Daleno said the exercise will bear fruits.
“From now onwards we will ensure all our streets are free from beggars from the neighbouring countries or those sleeping at our graveyards. We want to ensure the city is safe,” he said, adding that the exercise will be continuous until dignity is restored.
Tracing will be done to return the arrested street families to their Home Counties and countries.
“Those pillion passengers robing women and residents, we will profile and go after them,” vowed the Chief Officer.
Residents welcomed the move by the County Government saying they have become an eyesore to tourists affecting the image of Mombasa.
They said an increase in the street families is a result of a free feeding program that a cement firm was conducting before it was halted by the County Security and Intelligence Committee (CSIC) after criminals infiltrated it.
“The move is commendable it will lead to a decline in juvenile gangs and theft in the CBD. The street families were harbouring criminals fond of terrorizing us,” said Bradley Ouna, a resident.
By Sadik Hassan
