A nominated member of the Meru County Assembly has tabled two motions seeking urgent county intervention on the rising number of street children and growing livestock insecurity in conflict-prone parts of Meru County.
Nominated MCA Karimi Killingo urged the County Executive Committee Member for Youth, Gender, Culture and Social Services, Elius Murega, to formulate a comprehensive policy for rehabilitation and reintegration of street children, saying many vulnerable children in urban centres remain exposed to exploitation, substance abuse, poor health and lack of education.
Killingo said the county needs a structured rehabilitation framework, including the gradual establishment of rehabilitation centres staffed with trained personnel to provide psychosocial support, education and reintegration services.
“Street children continue to suffer because there is no clear county framework to rehabilitate and return them safely to society,” she said.
The motion also seeks allocation of adequate funds for rehabilitation programmes and provision of free or subsidised healthcare for rescued children.
Killingo said the measures would align with constitutional protections for vulnerable children and Kenya’s obligations under international child rights conventions.
In a separate motion tabled before the assembly on Wednesday, Killingo asked the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Janaro Gatangugi, to develop a livestock security and management policy to address cattle theft, bandit attacks and unregulated livestock movement in northern grazing zones.
The proposed policy calls for mandatory livestock identification through branding or electronic tagging, movement permits, designated livestock routes, holding grounds, quarantine zones and creation of a county livestock database for ownership and movement tracking.
“The absence of a coordinated livestock identification and surveillance system has continued to expose herders to insecurity and weakened response to attacks,” Killingo said.
The motion further proposes establishment of a county livestock management and security agency within the agriculture department to coordinate enforcement with national security agencies and neighbouring counties.
If adopted, the County government would also be required to sign cooperation agreements with neighbouring counties, integrate county systems with national livestock databases and invest in digital tracking and early warning systems to curb livestock-related insecurity.
Edited by John Majau
