SOCIAL DYNAMICS IN REHABILITATION OF STREET BOYS AND GIRLS IN

ELDORET TOWN KENYA

BRANDON TANUI

C69/3769/2014

KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of
Bachelor of Arts Degree Gender and Development Studies Kenyatta University

November, 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION............................................................................................1

1.0 Background to the study................................................................................................................1
1.1 Statement of the problem...............................................................................................................7
1.2 Objective of the study....................................................................................................................7
1.2.1 Main objective.............................................................................................................................7
1.2.2 Specific objectives......................................................................................................................8
1.3 Research questions.........................................................................................................................8
1.4 Justification of the study................................................................................................................8
1.5 Scope and limitations of the study................................................................................................9
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK. . .11
2.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................................11
2.1 Gender Composition of Street Children.....................................................................................11
2.2 Rehabilitation Programs for Boys and Girls..............................................................................13
2.2.1 Eldoret Children’s Rescue Centre...........................................................................................14
2.3 Challenges Facing Rehabilitation of Street Boys and Girls.....................................................15
2.4 Effective Gender Responsive Strategies for Rehabilitation of Street Boys and Girls..........17
2.5 Theoretical Framework................................................................................................................19
2.5.1 Structural functionalism theory...............................................................................................19
2.6 The conceptual framework..........................................................................................................21
2.7 Study Gaps....................................................................................................................................22
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................23
3.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................................23
3.1 Research design............................................................................................................................23
3.2 Research Site.................................................................................................................................24
3.3 Target population of the study....................................................................................................25
3.4 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure........................................................................................26
3.5 Methods of data collection..........................................................................................................27
3.5.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods....................................................................................27
3.5.2 Key Informant Interviews........................................................................................................28

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 3.5.3 Focused Group Discussions.....................................................................................................28
3.5.4 Secondary Sources....................................................................................................................28
3.6 Data analysis.................................................................................................................................29
3.7 Ethical Considerations.................................................................................................................29
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION.31
4.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................................31
4.1.0 Demographic Data....................................................................................................................31
4.1.1 Age of respondents....................................................................................................................31
4.1.2 Gender composition of the respondents..................................................................................32
4.1.3 Level of education of respondents...........................................................................................33
4.1.4 Duration of respondents in the rehabilitation centres............................................................35
4.2 Gender composition of street children in Eldoret town...........................................................36
4.3 Rehabilitation Programs in place for street boys and girls......................................................37
4.4 Challenges facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls...................................................39
4.5 Effective gender responsive strategies for rehabilitation of street boys and girls.................41
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................45
5.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................................45
5.1 Summary of Findings...................................................................................................................45
5.2 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................46
5.3 Recommendations........................................................................................................................47
5.4 Areas for further study.................................................................................................................48
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................50

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ANPPCAN African Network on Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect

CBO Community Based Organization

CPC Child Protection Centre

DCO District Children Officer

ECCO Ex-street Children Community Organization

FBO Faith Based Organization

FGD Focused Group Discussion

HIV Human Immune Virus

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

NYS National Youth Service

PEV Post-Election Violence

SFRTF Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund

SPSS Statistical Package of Social Sciences

UK United Kingdom

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

US United States

USAID United States Agency for International Development

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to evaluate social dynamics in rehabilitation of street boys and girls
in Eldoret town. The objectives of the study were, to explore the gender composition of street
children; Examine the rehabilitation programs in place for boys and girls; Find out the challenges
facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls and Suggest effective gender responsive
strategies to ensure street boys and girls are rehabilitated. The study was guided by the structural
functionalism theory of the family, which explains the role of the family in shaping a child’s
personality and whole being. The study adopted descriptive research design. Forty (40) children
formed the population for interview from two rehabilitation centres. Six (6) key informants
involved in rehabilitation of street children in the two centres, were also sampled to supplement
information got from the children and two sub county children officers. The sample was selected
using stratified random sampling procedure, the researcher first divided the population into strata
and then selected individuals from each stratum by simple random technique. Questionnaires and
interview guides were used to collect data on the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street
children. Data collected was coded and analyzed. Data presentations was done using tables, pie
charts and graphs. This was in line with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program.
The study was able to administer and analyze forty questionnaires to former street boys and girls
in the rehabilitation centres and also had eight key informant interviews. Focused group
discussions were conducted, one with social workers and three with former street boys and girls
in the rehabilitation centres. The gender composition of the street boys and girls undergoing
rehabilitation were, 67.5% boys and 32.5% girls. Study findings found that majority of street
children are boys. In regard to age of the respondents, 11-15 years were the majority at 57.5%,
16-18 years 27.5% and 6-10 years were 15.0%. The education level of respondents was studied
as well. Children who had attended class 5-8 were represented by 35.0%, lower primary level
(class 1-4) at 27.5%, those in secondary school at 10.0%, 5.0% had been to nursery while 12.5%
were missing responses as they had never been to school before. Some of the rehabilitation
programs included; counselling, vocational skills training, recreational activities among others.
While challenges were but not limited to, County governments lack a constitutional mandate to
allocate money for rehabilitation, There is lack of capacity and technical expertise to handle
many street boys and girls who need counseling in the rehabilitation centres, Lack of adequate
facilities in the rehabilitation centres etc. County governments should invest in constructing and
improving the existing facilities as well training of personnel to handle the street children. The
study suggests that there is need to carry out a gender analysis to establish the numbers, gender,
age and level of education of street children and families in Eldoret town for better planning and
designing of relevant programmes and interventions for rehabilitation. The study recommends
that rehabilitation process requires efforts from not only the government, but the community at
large through family based approaches.

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background to the study

Street boys and girls are a worldwide concern especially in Africa and other developing

countries, they constitute a marginalized population in most urban centres of the world. They are

variously termed in different countries: in developed countries they are referred to as ‘homeless

youth’, runaways’ or ‘throwaways’. In developing countries they are known as ‘parking boys

and girls’ or ‘chokora’ (in Kenya), ‘pogey boys’ and girls’ (in Philippines), ‘piverets’(in Brazil),

‘ragpickers’ or ‘sadak chaap bachache’(in India), ‘gamines’(in Bogota), ‘scugnizzo’(in Naples),

‘parajo frutero’(in Peru),etc. (ibid.) such names always carry a negative meaning indicating the

society’s attitude towards them.

There is no international agreement on the true definition of a ‘street boy or girl’ however;

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as well as United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) has come to try and to label these boys and girls so they fit into one of

four categories. These include: children‘of’ the street who (street-living boys and girls) sleep in

public places and have no family support. children ‘on’ the street (street-working boys and girls),

who visit their families regularly and might return home every night to sleep, but spend most

days and some nights on the street because of poverty, overcrowding, sexual or physical abuse at

home. ‘Street family children’ who live with their family on the street. These boys and girls may

be displaced due to poverty, war or a natural disaster. These families live a nomadic life by

carrying their belongings with them. ‘Street children in institutionalized care’ who have come

from homelessness of the lifestyle of living on the streets but who are at high risk of returning

back onto the streets. In addition to these definitions, J.M. Swart defines a street child as “any

girl or boy who has not reached adulthood for whom the street (unoccupied dwellings,

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wasteland) has become his or her habitual abode and or a source of livelihood and who is

inadequately protected, supervised or directed by responsible adults”.

There are estimated 100 million children (boys and girls) living on the streets in the world today

(African Action, 2009).Their peer interactions, social networks, living arrangements and survival

strategies are much the same all over the world. The United States (US) in 1996 had 5.5 million

boys and girls living in extreme poverty, approximately one million of whom were on the streets

(Nalkur, 2009). Studies however showed that poor boys and girls in the US are poorer than boys

and girls in most western industrialized countries since the US has high numbers of poor

immigrant and unmarried teen mothers. Poverty and social conditions that many American boys

and girls face lead to large numbers of homeless and street boys and girls (Nalkur, 2009) Farver,

et al., (1997) & Ciano Federoff, (1999). The study did find out that poverty was a contributing

factor to the ever increasing number of street boys and girls in eldoret town and other major

towns in Kenya.

In Yemen, there are about 30,000 street boys and girls. Migration to the cities, poverty,

unemployment, high fertility rates, lack of social services and abandonment of support for the

poor by the state, all have led to the problem of street boys and girls. In most cases they are used

for selling drugs and girls exploited for sex; they could be trafficked and sold as well. Various

studies have estimated the number of boys and girls in different countries of the world. For

instance in Ethiopia, NGOs estimated that there are nearly 600,000 street boys and girls and

100,000 of them are found in the capital city Addis Ababa (IRN 2004). Around 1,000,000 street

boys and girls are believed to be on the streets of Egypt (UNICEF, 2005). Boys and girls living

on the streets are vulnerable to victimization, exploitation and the abuse of their civil rights and

economic rights (Droz, 2006). These boys and girls want to live and so they can be involved in

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such illegal activities (Bibars, 1988). For instance in Ghana, Orme and Seipel (2007) argued that

boys and girls have made the street their home for a variety of reasons; that include freedom of

being at their own with no rules to follow, food and money that comes in form of handouts and

begging. While a few are from intact families and have come to urban streets for economic

reasons or for adventure, a large number of boys and girls are pushed into life on the streets for

the same reasons as boys and girls in other parts of the world. There has been increase in the

number of orphans and vulnerable groups of boys and girls since the war in Northern Uganda.

Today the number of orphans is estimated to be roughly 2.2 million boys and girls under the age

of 15 years (Africa Youth Ministries, 2013).In almost all cases these boys and girls live without

adult protection and without income generating activities. They usually work as labourers,

vendors or domestic servants. Some support themselves by begging and prostitution for the girls.

During the study the same was true, as some of the girls confessed of being involved in

prostitution while in the streets for quick cash; while most of the boys used to beg at the entrance

of retail shops and supermarkets in eldoret town.

Street Children phenomenon was first noticed in Kenya in 1969 (Ayuku, personal

communication). Since then Kenya has witnessed an increase in the number of street boys and

girls with an estimation of about 250,000 country wide. Poverty, disease, abuse and breakdown

of family structures are the leading causes that drive thousands of boys and girls on the streets of

Kenya’s cities and towns (Ayuku, personal communication). These children are vulnerable to

various forms of exploitation and abuse. They are deprived not only of their rights as boys and

girls, but also their childhood. They live without guidance, concern, love, education and security

(UNICEF, 1996). However a survey conducted in 13 districts under Government of Kenya

(UNICEF, 2013) programme of cooperation, estimated that there were 109,763 such children

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(boys and girls) with Nairobi alone being over 10,000. It was estimated that over 600,000 boys

and girls in Kenya are in need of special protection (UNICEF, 2013). With increase in trend of

street life, both government of Kenya, NGOs and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have

intensified efforts to address the street plight. In 2003, there was a street boys and girls

rehabilitation program initiative that saw various social halls transformed into rehabilitation

centres and for the street youths, they were as well enrolled to National Youth Service (NYS)

programs. Such efforts though commendable, have proved to be insufficient (Agarwal, 2010).

Muigai 2003 acknowledged that NYS opportunities are normally advertised in the daily

newspapers where college and university students often apply, but since April 2003,

approximately 800 street boys and girls from Nairobi and Mombasa had been actively recruited

into the NYS to become ‘useful citizens, like other Kenyans’. Under the Kibaki presidency in

2003, 6000 Ex street children (boys and girls) were rehabilitated and enrolled in different

primary schools countrywide. The government then made great strides in the provision of

supportive services to street boys and girls. Various bodies were created and mandated to work

with street boys and girls in Kenya. In the same year, the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust

Fund (SFRTF) was established under the Ministry of Local Government now Ministry of

Devolution and Planning through a Gazette Notice No 1558 of 11th March 2003.

The function of SFRTF was to coordinate rehabilitation activities of street families in Kenya in

partnership with other service providers, educate the public, mobilize resources, manage funds to

support rehabilitation and reintegration activities and encourage decentralization of activities to

county governments to benefit those surviving on streets of Kenya’s towns and cities among

other functions. The Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SFRTF) rehabilitates and returns

street boys and girls to their families and supports their reintegration into the community. The

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trust has moved from emergency response and immediate basic needs such as food, shelter,

clothing, health and psychological support to long term programs that includes support for their

education, vocational skills and small scale business for self-reliance. The study found out that

such programs are not in place and therefore the street boys and girls cannot be self-reliant. This

is because the SFRTF is not fully living up to its expectations compared to when it was started.

Street boys and girls in Eldoret town were first reported in 1989. However, it became worse in

1991-1992 during the infamous tribal clashes that preceded the 1992 multiparty elections and

there were estimated to be 1000 by 1998 (Ayuku, 2005). While in 2008, based on census done

for Save the children UK by Ex-street Children Community Organization(ECCO) a figure of

2500 street children were reported (Lalani, 2009). While the North Rift Valley Working Group

in Kenya found that at least one third of the boys and girls on the streets of Eldoret are coming

from Turkana. With 800-1500 street children in Eldoret town and admissions in the Children’s

Remand Home based in Kapsoya, Eldoret increasing significantly over the past few years,

UNICEF has decided to prioritize activities there. For instance, the Child Protection Centre

(CPC) in Eldoret is provided with supplies, social workers and counselors and support for

logistics. According to the study, the rehabilitation centres had to hire their own staff like the

social workers and they majorly depend on community donations and people of good will to run

their day to day activities. So they do not entirely depend on organizations such as the UNICEF

to provide and equip them with staff.

Uasin Gishu County has over 40 registered charitable institutions and children homes; including

the Eldoret Children Rescue Centre that was set up 2002 at the instigation of the local District

Commissioner who was concerned about the number of children roaming the streets. It is

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managed by the Children's Community Society, a Kenyan charity set up for this purpose. The

first intake of boys was early in 2002, using existing huts on a 5 acre site in a suburb of Eldoret.

They opened a house for girls (unique in Kenya where girls are not valued) in September 2004.

The Centre now caters for up to 150 boys and girls up to the age of 18, including some babies

born to girls in the Centre (http://lark.btck.co.uk/TheEldoretChildrenRescueCentre).

Others include Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and Non-

Governmental Organizations which are concerned in one way or another with children welfare.

UNICEF also seeks to expand its support to the local NGO, Ex-children Children Community

Organization (ECCO), so that they scale up services to street children and other vulnerable

children. The district children office is also to be supported to play its coordination role

(UNICEF.2011)

However, although NGOs have been involved in programs to address the issue of street children.

Onyango (1991) noted that management of most NGOs programmes have enjoyed very limited

internal public and government financial support, making them wholly dependent on external

public financial support (donations) to finance their operations. Such kind of support is not

dependable and complicates planning and implementation. For example, UNICEF currently

provides financial and technical support to Ex-street Children Community Organization (ECCO)

to respond to the increasing number of street boys and girls in Eldoret town over the last few

years. Such support program started in August 2011 with identification and enrollment of street

boys and girls resulting in 562 children being reached to date with a variety of interventions;

including psychological support, counselling, medical support, recreational activities and

reintegration of children with their families (UNICEF, 2011).

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The NGOs programs alone are not enough to significantly reduce the number of children (boys

and girls) in the street. Volp, (2002) indicated that it would be far more effective for NGOs to

network and cooperate among themselves and with local governments if they hope to increase

and strengthened long term impact and sustainability of interventions. Schmidt, (2003) policies

that attempt to support street boys and girls must be build on the experiences of the street boys

and girls themselves and their voices be listened to and taken into consideration.

1.1 Statement of the problem

Street children face all kinds of challenges from the moment they land into the streets. First, they

are separated from their families at a tender age to feed for themselves on the streets with no

emotional support from their families or relatives. Agnelli (1986) observed ‘they are thrown into

deep end of life prematurely; street life eliminates childhood’. Despite government and NGO

interventions towards alleviation of the problem of street children, there is a lack of a

comprehensive approach that yields any significant impact in addressing specific challenges of

street children. As such, the number of Street Children is still on the rise in most urban centres in

Kenya of which Eldoret town is no exception. Therefore, this study has ventured into filling the

gaps by, suggesting effective gender responsive approaches and strategies in the rehabilitation of

street children back to the society.

1.2 Objective of the study

1.2.1 Main objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street boys and

girls in Eldoret town, with the aim of providing information that can be useful to policy makers,

7
government agencies, NGOs, service providers among other key stakeholders in the area of child

welfare.

1.2.2 Specific objectives

The study was guided by the following objectives

i. To explore the gender composition of street children in Eldoret town

ii. To examine the rehabilitation programs in place for boys and girls

iii. To find out the challenges facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret

town

iv. To suggest effective gender responsive strategies to ensure street boys and girls are fully

rehabilitated

1.3 Research questions

The study was guided by the following research questions

i. What is the gender composition of street boys and girls?

ii. Which programs are in place to rehabilitate street boys and girls?

iii. What are the challenges facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret town?

iv. Which effective gender responsive strategies are used to ensure street boys and girls are

rehabilitated?

1.4 Justification of the study

The study was prompted by the increasing number of boys and girls in the street either surviving

on their own or with their parents. The number was astonishing despite government efforts and

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partners to remove boys and girls from the street. The research went an extra mile to access the

challenges of rehabilitating street boys and girls, the rehabilitation programs used and suggested

effective gender responsive strategies for ensuring successful rehabilitation. The study was

useful to children welfare programs, to government policy makers, Non-governmental

organizations (NGOs) and all stakeholders who might see the need of coming up with

appropriate and clear policies to guide rehabilitation institutions on the process, training and

empowering boys and girls to achieve their goals in life.

The caretakers, counselors and practitioners found this study useful in understanding the

dynamics which are involved in rehabilitation towards helping street boys and girls. It was also

a great source of information, contributed to knowledge and further research to the donors and

general public as well other bodies concerned with street boys and girls welfare and in particular

rehabilitation on their contribution to address the plight of street boys and girls.

1.5 Scope and limitations of the study

The study was conducted in Eldoret town and rehabilitation centres within this boundary were

targeted. Those that only deal with street boys and girls were studied, having in mind that there

are street boys and girls who are in other institutions which help the vulnerable and

disadvantaged children. The study involved both boys and girls who were in the rehabilitation

centres. The age limit for the street boys and girls will be between five years to eighteen years.

This implied that boys and girls below five years will not be sampled as well as those above

eighteen years. The research focused on exploring the gender composition of street boys and

girls, programs used in rehabilitation process and challenges facing the rehabilitation of street

boys and girls and therefore suggested effective gender responsive strategies to ensure successful

rehabilitation and other life skills empowerment techniques to help boys and girls cope with the

9
changing world. Only a few rehabilitation centres were selected to establish challenges which

can be barriers towards successful rehabilitation. Lastly the study suggested gender responsive

strategies that will ensure rehabilitation process addresses the different needs of street boys and

girls.

The setting of the study was based on Rehabilitation centres, Department of children Services all

within Eldoret town. This meant that the outcomes and findings were based only on this locality,

which limited the generalization of the outcome.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

2.0 Introduction

This chapter reviewed literature related to the study under the following sub topics: gender

composition of street children, rehabilitation programmes in place for street boys and girls,

effective gender responsive strategies for rehabilitating street boys and girls, theoretical

explanations where relevant theories on the topic was examined in an attempt to formulate a

conceptual framework.

2.1 Gender Composition of Street Children

Most street children are boys. Black, (1991) observed that there are considerably more boys than

girls in major cities of the world and that most of the boys engage in scavenging cans, bottles and

other non-degradable trash. For instance, in eldoret town some of the boys can be found washing

cars, others could be selling recycled plastic bags or ‘madimbo’ as popularly known name for

recycled plastic bags, tins and bottles. Some of the girls are pushed to go to the streets to beg due

to the poverty status in their families. At times the parents encourage them to beg so that, what

they earn at the end of the day can supplement the little that their parents are able to get from

their various means of making ends meet. As times goes by the girls get introduced to

prostitution as way of sustaining their livelihoods while living in the streets and at times are

handled by the policemen who seem to enjoy arresting and punishing them.

The girls suffer worse than the boys the impact of acute urban poverty because exploitation is

more often hidden and except in the case of prostitution, is less financially rewarded (Black,

1991). It’s estimated that only 10% (percent) and 30% (percent) of street children in Kenya are

girls (Dallape, 1996). Dallape noted that girls are fewer than boys on the street because of the

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existing social norms and values. For example, in an African setting, housekeeping is still

regarded fitting for women and girls whereas public locations are considered the male domains.

Therefore boys generally tend to be independent or are given greater independence, while girls

are protected in the homes and play central role in the household chores. This implies that the

street being a public space is therefore inappropriate location for females, especially teenage

girls. Thus relatives and family members always try their utmost to keep the girls at home even

when families break up (Dallape, 1996).

Additionally there are cases when girls are picked up from the streets to work as prostitutes thus

making their number on the streets less compared to boys. Further, most of the conflicts that

normally happens at homes thus pushing children to the streets are between boys and their step

fathers than between step fathers and girls and this makes the number of boys on the streets to be

higher than the girls. Girls generally in contrast with boys, keep in touch with their relatives

more than boys do, and with time they are able to reunite with them and get off the streets.

According to a study that was done in Nakuru, Kenya (American international journal of

contemporary research, Vol .3 No 1 Jan 2013) found out that 79% (percent) of the street children

respondents were male while 21% (percent) were female. It also established that the female form

12% (percent) of the children off the streets and have habitation in various institutions which are

involved in rehabilitation while male forms 88% (percent). As Black, (1991) observes that there

are considerably more boys than girls in major cities of the world. This study has interrogated if

the same is true in eldoret town.

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2.2 Rehabilitation Programs for Boys and Girls

American Heritage Dictionary, (2009), defines rehabilitation as the means, ‘to useful life, as

through therapy and education or to restore to good condition or capacity. It can also be a form

of resocialization where the street boys and girls learn new norms, values, attitudes and

behaviour to match their new situation in life. All over the world there are various rehabilitation

programs that includes vocational training. In Kenya there are several rehabilitation and

counselling centres which have been established to help children and people who have

undergone a crisis to get help that they need. For instance, the earliest corrections and

rehabilitation institution was built between 1910 and 1912 in the lower Kabete area in Nairobi-

Kabete rehabilitation school. Other schools in Kenya include; Nairobi children home, Getathuru

rehabilitation school, Dagoretti rehabilitation school and Kirigiti rehabilitation school among

others.

Programs offered in rehabilitation centres for street boys and girls are quite different and unique

compared to adult rehabilitation centres especially for drug addicts. The reason behind this is that

children are still growing and they need much help and assistance in various ways in order to

catch up with what they have undergone while in the streets, not having family. Therefore, the

rehabilitation centres for street children are structured in a way that they provide an opportunity

for boys and girls to have access to those needs.

A well-established rehabilitation program for street boys and girls cuts across several factors that

include; medical care for children, training on health and hygiene such as cooking, counselling at

individual level and group therapies, recreational activities such as playing games both outdoor

and indoor, singing, dancing, role play, non-formal; or formal education, vocational training and

other empowering life skills. As Dallape,1987:36 notes that rehabilitation centres creates a safe

13
environment which provides adequate diet, shelter, basic sanitation, hygiene and clothing to

street girls and boys and creating an environment which is free from violence, drugs and

substance abuse and all other sorts crime. The study therefore found out that rehabilitation

centres in Eldoret town offer the same kind of services.

2.2.1 Eldoret Children’s Rescue Centre

The Centre was set up in 2002 at the instigation of the local District Commissioner who was

concerned about the number of children roaming the streets. It is managed by The Children's

Community Society, a Kenyan charity set up for this purpose. The first intake of boys was early

in 2002, using existing huts on a 5 acre site in a suburb of Eldoret. They opened a house for girls

(unique in Kenya where girls are not valued) in September 2004. The Centre now caters for up to

150 children up to the age of 18, including some babies born to girls in the Centre.

The children come from the streets of Eldoret, where they have been orphaned or abandoned by

their families due to poverty, illness, or being unacceptable to a new partner. Some have run

away from an abusive situation. Aids is endemic in adults and the children. Life on the streets is

hard, often brutal and short. Taking drugs or sniffing glue carries the child out of the desperate,

hard, real world into the realm of illusions and hallucinations. Children get by through begging,

stealing and scavenging through rubbish. Children who are caught stealing are likely to be beaten

or stoned. Many of the girls are raped, even as young as ten years old. Street children commonly

end up in prison. Children are brought to the Centre by the police through a Magistrates order or

are invited to the Centre by the staff or other street children.

The Centre has full time staff, responsible between them for the management of the boys and

girls compounds, the primary schools, sports and physical education and administration. They

14
have an increasing focus on preparing the older children for occupations. They include qualified

teachers, a nurse and social workers. The full time staff are helped with a number of volunteers,

often students after secondary and university graduation.

The Centre is a refuge that opens up new ways of life for the children. At the moment it is not a

permanent children's home. Its focus is rehabilitation. Boys and girls from the streets are

brought in, assessed to establish why they went on to the streets, and then rehabilitated for at

least six months. If possible they are then returned to relatives if appropriate, or, if they are 11

years or younger, they are transferred to a children’s home when there is a vacancy.

(http://lark.btck.co.uk/TheEldoretChildrenRescueCentre).

2.3 Challenges Facing Rehabilitation of Street Boys and Girls

There are several challenges in rehabilitation of street boys and girls. These included; the

problem of street boys and girls relapsing from the rehabilitation centres and going back to the

streets. It’s commonly attributed to drug addiction which makes them run away back to the street

to get drugs since they had become addicted to them. Addiction is something that street boys and

girls keep struggling with any small challenge they encounter in the rehabilitation centres, due to

lack of coping skills, they resort to solve their problems by abusing drugs which can only be

possible if they go back to the streets. They usually run to the ‘base’ where they were living

before rescue. It’s possible to go and get them back to the rehabilitation process again though

some children are clever and opt to relocate to another ‘base’ (ANPPCAN, 1995:26).

In case where we have children with physical disability for example hearing impairment. It’s not

easy to have a rehabilitation program strictly for them as they might not be many in the streets.

15
Thus many Organizations dealing with street boys and girls with disability take them with all

sorts of impairment and handicapped from the streets into one rehabilitation centre. They first

assist them to recover from the addiction to drugs and then implement rehabilitation plan to each

individual boy/girl according to their specific needs (Angela, 1997). This is not an easy task and

there is a tendency to assume that all children are the same and should have the same

rehabilitation plan, without considering the fact that each child ran away from home because of

specific issue which is different from one child to another. The generalization syndrome in

attending to children in rehabilitation centres the same way hinders fully recovery to children and

full rehabilitation. Attention given to every child helps them to develop self-worth and

confidence (Jill, 1997).

Poor planning and setting of goals and objectives in many rehabilitation centres hinders the

success of rehabilitation process. For instance, where there is no policy which guides on when

rescuing should be done, who to do it, how often, the type and age of boys and girls to be

rehabilitated. This will affect the rehabilitation plan for each child. Therefore if there is no well-

set program focusing on what should be done at specific time and by who and for what purpose,

children who are in rehabilitation centres will be confused and most likely they will get bored

and run back to the streets.

The ratio of staff to children sometimes in rehabilitation centres is worrying. It can either be

understaffing meaning children will not get enough attention since they are many. It can as well

be overstaffing, whereby employees are more than needed and resources which should be used to

fund rehabilitation programs are instead used to cater for employee’s allowances. There is also

the issue of hiring unqualified staff, this is because the organization cannot afford to pay salaries

16
for trained and qualified personnel (Dallape, 1987:93). This implies that children will not be

helped instead they will just roll through the rehabilitation process and later be reintegrated to

their families. While in real sense they have not been transformed and eventually they will return

to the streets later.

Corruption and mismanagement of funds has been noted in rehabilitation centres where the

money is misused for personal interests instead of rehabilitation plans and programs. For

instance when donors bring food and other items to rehabilitation centres with the aim of

subsidizing the needs of the institution, but the items are used by management for their own

good. Thus in the end it does not reach the intended beneficiaries who are the children.

Corruption is mostly seen in sourcing and allocation of funds to the needy and vulnerable

children. There is misappropriation which happens for example in diverting funds to the children

who are not in the rehabilitation program to other children who are from able families

(ANPPCAN, 1995:20).

Funding in rehabilitation institutions is very challenging owing to the fact that there are so many

children in the streets and limited resources, yet rehabilitation institution operate on fixed

budgets (Onyango,1991). There are also cases when donors untimely withdrew their aid to

rehabilitation centres, which adversely affect rehabilitation programs and services. To curb such

incidences the institutions should have a budget which is realistic and investing on the money on

project to make them self-sufficient and be detached from the donor aid (Dallape, 1987:90).

2.4 Effective Gender Responsive Strategies for Rehabilitation of Street Boys and Girls

17
As a way of reducing relapses of street boys and girls, the following strategies can be put in

place but not limited to; counseling should be intensified both at individual and group level. The

concerns of both boys and girls should be put into consideration because they both have different

needs (Martin .M, 2015).This will ensure equal treatment in terms of opportunities and resources

to the street boys and girls who are undergoing rehabilitation. The children should be taken for

medical checkup on all the drugs they might have taken while in the streets to avoid withdrawer

symptoms. This should be done again by a way of putting into consideration that boys and girls

are affected differently by drugs. Special attention should be paid on ensuring that girls and boys

receive better health care checkups regularly while in the rehabilitation centres.

Hiring of qualified staff trained on relevant skills for rehabilitation, should be done in a way that

ensures not more than two thirds are of the same gender. This will go a long way in ensuring that

the set targets and goals are achieved for the rehabilitation programs. This means that boys and

girls, will have role models who can directly share with them their life experiences. Thus can

help them learn their gender roles which might have been eroded while living in the streets.

Creation of loving and homely environment for children under rehabilitation, to help them regain

self-esteem and open to be helped in their issues. Accommodation should ensure that boys and

girls sleep in their respective dormitories or hostels. Such facilities as washrooms should be

made in a way that meets specific needs of boys and girls (Martin .M, 2015). For instance, if

boys have two washrooms, girls should have even double of the same. For those with disabilities,

special care should be given to them like provision of wheelchairs and hearing aid or sign

language, assistant or helper, so that they feel at home and treated equally as other children.

18
Proper watchdogs should be put in place to check on how resources are being utilized especially

from international as well as local donors (Martin .M, 2015). This can be done by including men

and women and ex-street children, men and women who have made it in life despite their past

experiences. This is because they understand the importance of rehabilitation of street boys and

girls, and this they will ensure that the funds are used to benefit the children in the rehabilitation

centres.

2.5 Theoretical Framework

The study adopted Herbert Spencer and Robert Merton Structural Functionalism family theory to

explain and interrogate the problem of street boys and girls and their rehabilitation.

2.5.1 Structural functionalism theory

Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is "a framework for building theory that sees

society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability" This

approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social

structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms.

This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses

society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs,

traditions, and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer, presents these

parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole. In

the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to

each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive

system". It states that our social life is guided by social structure, which are relatively stable

patterns of social behaviour (Macionis, 1997).

19
In functionalist thought the family is an important institution as it’s the ‘basic building block’ of

society which performs the crucial functions of socializing the young and meeting the emotional

needs of its members. Stable families underpin social order and economic stability

(revisionsociliogy.com). Therefore the primary role of the family to society is to reproduce or

create itself through the family. Children are born in the family to join society. Parents play the

role of nurturing, caring for, teaching and training children. Children are expected to play the

role of good and teachable trainees. However, institutions also have dysfunctional roles and the

family is no exception.

The breaking of families has resulted into the disintegration of the unit in contemporary society.

Boys and girls are neglected, abused or exploited in their families and this has been linked to the

rise in the number of street boys and girls (Carren Morangi, 2013). Thus rehabilitation becomes

necessary so as to transform and empower these street boys and girl to be useful to the society.

For instance, Edgerton (1989) hypothesized that during independence the Kikuyu family was

changed more than were the families of other tribes. This is because many Kikuyu men were

incarcerated as a result of fighting against colonialism. This led to an increase in kikuyu street

children as their families disintegrated due to the inability of their mothers to provide for the

family.

In modern society street children have cited family issues as the reason for their movement into

the streets. For instance, in countries as diverse as Bangladesh and the United Kingdom (UK),

children, service providers and researchers point to family violence as a key factor pushing

children onto the streets. Recent research in Bangladesh found; moves to the street are closely

associated with violence to, and abuse of, children within the household and local community

(Conticini & Hulme, 2006). Nthiga (1999) noted that Kenya had one of the highest percentages

20
of abused children in the world, with over 40% of children admitting to suffering one form of

abuse or another. In order to address the street children challenges there is a need to address the

underlying structural factors which are at the family level.

2.6 The conceptual framework

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

Independent variable Dependent variable Outcomes

Street children Vocatonal skills

interventons Transformaton(new
ways of life for the
children)
Government eforts Rehabilitaton in the Centres gives
(SFRTF, Rescue society children hope of a
centre) diferent life & raises
Community eforts their self-estem
(Berur street care ) Small scale business
NGOs eforts for self relaince

21
2.7 Study Gaps

There is a lack of a comprehensive approach that yields any significant impact in addressing

specific challenges of street children. Although NGOs have been involved in programmes to

address the issue of street children. Onyango (1991) noted that management of most NGOs

programmes have enjoyed very limited internal public and government financial support, making

them wholly dependent on external public financial support (donations) to finance their

operations. Such kind of support is not dependable and complicates planning and

implementation.

The county governments lack a constitutional mandate to allocate funds for rehabilitation of

street boys and girls in their budgets.

22
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter described the methodology that the study adopted. They included: the research

design, research site, target population, sampling design and sample procedure with focus on the

sample size and sample selection, methods of data collection paying attention to both quantative

and qualitative techniques of data collection, data and tools for data collection and data analysis

without forgetting ethical issues.

3.1 Research design

The study adopted the descriptive design. This design provided quantitative or numeric

description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that

population (Creswell 2003). The range of methods within the qualitative and quantitative

methodologies provides a more complete and comprehensive picture. For instance, qualitative

research design involves collecting a large amount of data on a rather small, purposive sample.

The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods of data collection

through triangulation. According to Bryman (2008) triangulation entails using more than one

method or data in the study of social phenomena, resulting in greater confidence in findings. The

researcher employed data triangulation where information was sought from different populations

of the study i.e. street children, street children service providers and street children workers. The

study adopted triangulation method where the use of different research tools (questionnaires,

interviews, focus group discussions and observation) complemented each other thus strengthened

the findings of the study.

23
3.2 Research Site

Eldoret is the largest town and administrative centre for Uasin Gishu County and North Rift

Valley region. According to the Commission of Revenue Allocation Kenya County Fact Sheets

Eldoret has a population of 289,380 (census, 2009). Eldoret lies at latitude 0, 5167

(031’0.001”N) and longitude 35, 2833 (3516’ 59.880”E) and at an altitude of 2,103 M. At

Government level, the District Children’s Office, under Ministry of East Africa, Labour and

Social protection is mandated to Safe guard the Rights and welfare of Children and respond to

the needs of children.

In Eldoret, the climate is warm and temperate. Eldoret has a significant amount of rainfall during

the year. This is true even for the driest month. The temperature here averages 16.8 °C. The

rainfall here averages 1055 mm.

Eldoret town has a broad industrial base and hence provides employment opportunities and for

livelihoods for most residents. 21.8% of the labour force is in formal employment with the

remaining 78.2% in the agricultural sector, both large scale and small scale farms. Health

facilities especially the public ones are over utilized due to socio-economic difficulties. Many

people cannot afford private hospital charges hence over reliance on public facilities. The 3 most

prevalent diseases are malaria, respiratory infections and water borne diseases. The age

distribution is 0-14 years 41.5 %, 15-64 years 55.7%, and above 65 years 2.9%. A young

population signifies a high level of dependence, especially in catering for such needs as

education and health.

The study identified Eldoret town because it has a considerable number of rehabilitation centres

and charitable institutions, then followed by other towns such as Nakuru, Kitale, Mombasa,

Kisumu etc. It also bears the greatest brunt of the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence (PEV),

24
which is just a percentage of other towns (Kisumu, Nakuru, Naivasha and Nairobi) which

experienced the same. In the wake of the 2008 PEV, more children made their way to eldoret

town (Lalani, 2009). This means that rehabilitation centres had a task of providing homes to such

children. The researcher was interested to study the social dynamics of the rehabilitation process

and challenges of the same.

Figure 2: Map of Eldoret town

3.3

Target

population of the study

Target population refers to all members of a real or hypothetical set of people, events or

objectives to which a researcher wishes to generalize the research results (Singleton, 1998).The

target population of the study comprised of; street boys and girls in the following rehabilitation

facilities within Eldoret town. Rescue Centre and Berur Street Care International. Department of

children services officers, the management, caretakers, counselors and social workers in the

rehabilitation centres.

25
3.4 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure

Singleton, (1998:137) defines sampling as that part of the research that indicates how cases are to

be selected for observation. The study targeted street boys and girls in two rehabilitation

institutions namely: Rescue Centre and Berur Street Care International in Eldoret town. The

sample size for Organizations working with Eldoret Street children were two, namely; Eldoret

Berur Street Care International (40 children), and Eldoret rescue centre (100 children).The

numbers were obtained during the actual study in the two rehabilitation centres.. The study

sampled the management, counselors, caretakers and social workers in each organization (a

sample of six (6) was selected for this study) and 40 out of 140 children were sampled

(representing 29% from each centre). The researcher targeted 5 District Children Officers

(DCOs) of which 2 were sampled, from Department of Children Services in Soy sub county

Eldoret west.

The sampling unit was done using stratified random sampling method. This technique involved

dividing the population into strata and individuals were selected from each stratum. The number

of each stratum is simple fraction (or percentage) of the total population. The researcher selected

a stratified sample of 40 from the total 140 of the street boys and girls in the two rehabilitation

centres. It’s calculated as follows

Sub group sample size = Total sub group stratum× sample size
The total population
Rescue centre = 100×40 =29
140
Berur street care = 40×40 =11
140
Total = 40

26
Table 1: Sample of the Population
Categories of Respondents Respondents Sample
Government agencies District children officers 2

Street children Rescue centre 29

Berur street care international 11

Community Based Organisation Berur street care international 3

Rescue centre staff 3
Total 48

3.5 Methods of data collection

Relevant data for this study was collected through primary and secondary data. Primary data

referred to data collected for a specific research problem at hand, using procedures that fit the

research problem best. Secondary data on the other hand referred to data that has been collected

before and is available to the researcher.

3.5.1 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods, where quantitative methods placed

more emphasis on quantification compared to qualitative methods which placed more emphasis

on information generated. Quantitative methods of data collection was used for the majority of

respondents who were the units of analysis for the study. Qualitative methods allowed the

researcher to collect rich and in-depth data from the sample to facilitate for the construction of

their own view point. Qualitative research methods focused on the quality of data on a rather

small and purposive sample which included the managers, social workers and caretakers in

rehabilitation institutions in Eldoret town.

27
3.5.2 Key Informant Interviews

Patton (2002) defines key informant interviews as a qualitative research technique that involves

conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their

perspectives on a particular idea, program, or situation. Interviews with children officers and

staff from the rehabilitation institutions, children in the rehabilitation centres allowed the

researcher to collect in –depth information on the phenomenon of social dynamics in

rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret town. The researcher adopted semi-structured

interviews with open-ended questions which was employed as one of the methods for data

collection to provide qualitative data which complemented the quantitative data.

3.5.3 Focused Group Discussions

Kumar (1987) notes that focus group discussions is a form of a rapid assessment, semi –

structured data gathering method in which a purposively selected set of participants gather to

discuss issues and concerns based on a list of key themes drawn up by the researcher / facilitator.

This was one of the key methods of data collection in the study and involved managers, social

workers, caretakers and children (boys and girls) from the 2 rehabilitation institutions directly

involved with street children.

3.5.4 Secondary Sources

The researcher used secondary sources of data as part of data collection methods for the study.

These was from published and unpublished materials, journals, newspaper articles and studies on

the phenomenon of street children rehabilitation. Secondary data allowed the researcher to detect

and identify trends in the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street children in Eldoret town.

3.6 Data analysis

28
Data analysis process involves several activities; data coding, entry and modification. The study

employed both qualitative and quantitative methods both of which required different processes.

Qualitative data from the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was categorized into

different themes as they emerged during the field interviews as suggested by Lalani (2009) after

which thematic analysis was done of key issues raised by discussants. For quantitative data

cleaning of generated information through coding was undertaken to identify errors, omissions

and inconsistencies which was then followed by data entry process, using the Statistical Package

for Social Scientists (SPSS). The researcher undertook a descriptive statistical analysis of the

information gathered from the respondents. Descriptive statistics allowed the researcher to detect

patterns and themes from data collected for inference. Descriptive statistics was presented in

tables and charts as well as the researcher’s own interpretation in verbatim.

3.7 Ethical Considerations

In social research confidentiality and anonymity of information provided by the respondents is of

utmost importance. If a researcher satisfies the respondents in regard to the confidentiality and

anonymity of the information they provide the validity of the responses is guaranteed as they

provide actual information. Informed consent was established by providing information to the

respondents as to the nature and purpose of the study. The researcher acquired a letter from

Kenyatta University in order to increase confidence in the respondents regarding the purpose of

the study. The letter gave confidence the respondents in answering the questions as objectively

as possible because they knew that it is an academic study which was not going to victimize

them in any way for the views they gave. The guidelines for Child Participation in Kenya was

adhered to the letter.

29
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION

4.0 Introduction

This chapter presents analysis and interprets the data which was collected concerning the social

dynamics in rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret town. This was done as per the

stated objectives. Gathering the data was done by use of questionnaires, interviewing key

informants and 4 focused group discussions with social workers and children in rehabilitation

30
centres. Observation guide was also in play in order to harmonize the collected data with what

was seen by the researcher.

4.1.0 Demographic Data

The researcher has made an attempt to analyze the bio-data of former street boys and girls in the

rehabilitation centres, who were interviewed by use of questionnaires. The aim was to

understand better what kind of children the study was dealing with and their background in

general. Data gathered from the children has been compared with the data which was collected

from the key informants to ensure that there is no biasness or omission of relevant information in

the effort to underscore the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret

town. Therefore the demographic data looked at the following.

4.1.1 Age of respondents

With regard to the age variable, children between the ages of 6 – 10 years were 15.0 %.

Respondents between the ages of 11 – 15 were 57.5% and 27.5 % were between the ages of 16 –

18 as shown in Table 2 below. At the end of the day, the ages of the children were bound to be

subjective based on what they believed their ages were since the researcher had no objective way

of verifying Children’s ages.

Table 2: Age of respondents

Age group Frequency Percentage (%)

6-10 years 6 15.0

11-15 23 57.5
16-18 11 27.5
Total 40 100.0

31
4.1.2 Gender composition of the respondents

With regard to the variable of gender, out of the 40 respondents that were interviewed, 67.5%

(percent) of them were boys compared to 32.5% (percent) who comprised of girls street children.

The study findings showed that majority of street children are boys and so did observation in the

two rehabilitation centres. This is shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Gender composition among the respondents

Sex of respondents Frequency Percentage (%)

Boys 27 67.5
Girls 13 32.5
Total 40 100.0

Table 3 shows the gender distribution among the respondents. From the above analysis, it is clear

that few 32.5% (percent) girls street children are on the streets compared to their boys

counterparts who account for 67.5% (percent). The same was true during the focused group

discussions and interviews with the key informants.

The higher number of boys is attributed to the fact that when families break up, most of the girls

are taken care of by their relatives as noted by Dallape (1996). Traditionally girls are associated

with household chores roles while the boys are perceived to dominate the public space and

generally tend to be independent. According to the study, boys are very aggressive compared to

girls when it comes to street life and hustle where it involves a lot of violence among themselves

and the public for survival and therefore boys are more in the streets. As stated by one of the

boys, “wasichana ni waoga, hawana nguvu ya kuchakura pipa ndo wapate food.” literally means

that girls are cowards and are not muscular enough to scavenge on the dust bins for food. One of

32
the key informants talked about the issues of handouts that comes in form of money and food.

This has made most boys to leave their homes where their families cannot afford daily meals for

them because of poverty. Therefore boys are easily carried away by the handouts and they even

spread the word to other boys so that they can join them. For the girls, most of them are kept at

home by their parents to assist in household chores or even relatives in case of a family break up.

It was therefore evident during the study that most of the street children are boys compared to

girls in eldoret town as well as other towns in Kenya, and globally as argued by other researchers

who have done the same research studies on street children phenomenon, (Miriti M. 2015).

4.1.3 Level of education of respondents

In regard to their level of education the study as indicated in Figure 3 below, shows that those

with no education at all were represented at 10.0 % (percent), those with nursery level of

education were represented at 5.0% (percent). Children who had attended school to the lower

primary level which is between classes 1 – 4 were represented at 27.5% (percent) while those

with an upper primary level of education which is class 5–8 were represented at 35.0% (percent).

Street children with secondary level of education were represented at 10.0% (percent), while

12.5 % (percent) were missing responses.

33
 40
35
30
25
20
15
10
Percentage (%)
5
0

Figure 3: Education level of respondents

Key informant interviews revealed that most street boys and girls in Eldoret town did not attend

school. Results revealed that there are children who come to the streets during the day and go

home in the evening, and that, at times they may attend school but will frequent the streets

during the school holidays. These children comprise of those who are sent to the streets by their

parents so as to supplement the family income. Social workers interviews also revealed that

although parents often try to refer street children to public primary schools, requirements such as

uniforms and desks were required and that parents had no capacity to provide these materials.

Further, due to children’s appearance and habits of using drugs and noting that they were not

completely rehabilitated, school administration were hesitant to accept them since they would

negatively influence other pupils.

Figure 3 above indicates the level of education among the respondents. The majority 35.0% had

reached between class 5 and 8. 27.5% between class 1 and 4 and the least had been to nursery

level at 5.0%.

34
4.1.4 Duration of respondents in the rehabilitation centres

The researcher sought to identify how long the sampled street boys and girls had been in the

rehabilitation centres. As indicated in Figure 4 below those who have been in the centres for

more than 4 years accounted for 30.0 %, 1-3 years were 42.5 % and those who were in the

rehabilitation centres for less than one year were represented at 27.5 %.

30.00% 27.50%

less than 1 yr
1-3 yrs
more than 4 yrs
42.50%

Figure 4: Duration of respondents in the rehabilitation centres

Key informant interviews with the Sub County Children Officers indicated that poverty had

contributed to children coming to Eldoret town to seek ways of making money since they could

not access basic needs in their homes. These are some of the factors that are characterized as pull

factors because children see Eldoret town as a location where there is access to the basic needs.

These findings support Carren M, (2013) who states that the influence of friends emerges as the

most critical factor pulling girls to the streets. Some of the boys and girls were influenced into

the streets by their brothers, cousins or relatives who had been on the streets earlier.

4.2 Gender composition of street children in Eldoret town

Most street children are boys in the streets of Eldoret town compared to girls who are normally

few. The same is true worldwide as Black, (1991) observes that there are considerably more boys

35
than girls in major cities of the world. The study found out that in the two rehabilitation centres

there were 67.5 % boys compared to 32.5 % who comprised of girls street children. This is

similar for previous studies that have been done before. For instance, According to a study that

was done in Nakuru, Kenya (American international journal of contemporary research, Vol .3 No

1 Jan 2013) found out that 79% (percent) of the street children respondents were male while 21%

(percent) were female. It also established that the female form 12% (percent) of the children off

the streets and have habitation in various institutions which are involved in rehabilitation while

male forms 88% (percent). During the focused group discussions, one of the boys had this to say.

“When my parents died, my sister was taken to stay with my nephew and my two

brothers and I were told to take care of our home. Nobody could come to visit us

and when we finished spending all the money and food that was donated during

the funeral of our mother, we had no food and no one could give us anything

including our uncle who lived in the neighbourhood. It’s then that we decided to

start going into the streets in the morning to beg for food and money and come

back in the evening and eventually decided to sleep on the streets. We were

rescued by a social worker who later brought us to the rehabilitation centre”.

(Male ex-street Boy, 14 years).

Most of the boys and girls who find themselves in the streets is as a result of poor parenting and

neglect by parents. It was evident from the key informants that most parents neglect their

responsibilities of providing for their children which makes them vulnerable to resorting to street

life and they attributed this to dysfunctional families. This relates well with the functionalist

theory, where it views the society as ‘organs’ that work together towards proper functioning of

the ‘body’ as a whole. In functionalist thought, family is an important unit which performs

36
crucial functions of socializing the young and meeting the emotional needs of its members.

When families are dysfunctional as a unit, children find their way to the streets.

4.3 Rehabilitation Programs in place for street boys and girls

It was evident during the study that, the rehabilitation centres had regular programs which they

give former street boys and girls an alternative to a better life than living in the streets. The

programs consisted of cleaning their class rooms and dormitories, morning devotions, daily

exercises, non- formal and formal classes, co-curriculum activities (in various clubs like dancing,

drama and football clubs), counseling programs (individual and group counseling) and

vocational training. In rescue centre, the boys and girls are given a platform to show case their

talents in an annual show dubbed ‘talent show’. Such events enable them to develop and nurture

their talents and skills in a big way.

Those boys and girls who enroll for formal classes benefit from government bursaries which are

allocated for those joining high school. This enables the former street boys and girls to pursue

their education. At the time of the research 10 children were enrolled to secondary schools which

represent 25.0% (percent) of the interviewed boys and girls. During an interview with one of the

girls, she was really grateful that she had found a new home. She had the following to say.

“I lived in the streets for 7 years here in Eldoret town, but one day a social worker

approached me and talked to me about taking me to the rehabilitation centre. I

accompanied her to this centre and I enrolled to school for class 6 and now in

form two. Berur Street care international centre because I can now attend school

and have a place to call home”. (Female ex-street girl, 15 years)

37
Counseling sessions are also in place to ensure that the children are guided and supported

emotionally, psychologically and socially. This enables them to develop positive personalities

and attitudes. The counseling sessions can be individual or group counseling as stated by one of

the social workers. For example in Berur Street Care International, they normally have

counseling and interactive sessions every Wednesday where former street mothers and families

are invited to come and share their experiences with the children. This proved to a great way of

giving hope and an inspiration that there is a better life for the boys and girls after rehabilitation

process.

Table 4: Rehabilitation programs and services

Services/Programs Frequency %
Vocational training 2 5.0
Clothing and food 21 52.5
Medical care 3 7.5
Recreational activities 1 2.5
Counseling 13 32.5
Total 40 100.0

The study findings in table 4 above shows that counseling (32.5%), food and clothing (52.5%)

were the main programs and services offered in the rehabilitation centres. This is attributed to the

fact that most street boys and girls struggle to get food and at times go hungry for days while in

the streets. They also lack someone to talk to about their situation and therefore counseling

becomes appropriate. While recreational activities were the least offered at 2.5% according to the

interviewed children. The success of such programs and services, is as a result different

stakeholders teaming up together to support the rehabilitation programs. So is the functionalist

theory, where it views the society as ‘organs’ that work together towards proper functioning of

the ‘body’ as a whole. In this case the stakeholders are the organs that work together towards the

38
success of rehabilitation (body) of street boys and girls. Role models and mentorship is critical in

rehabilitation yet it was really lacking in the two rehabilitation institutions. The study found out

that the counseling sessions are not gender sensitive, they are just generalized without taking into

account that boys and girls might have faced different challenges while at the streets. In one of

the centres, staff do assist those students in high school through their studies during the short

holidays which is really recommendable.

4.4 Challenges facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls

According to the study findings, the following were the main challenges facing rehabilitation of

street boys and girls in eldoret town. They included the following but not limited to;

Inadequate funds. County governments lack a constitutional mandate to allocate money for

rehabilitation. The Council of Governors says the role has not been devolved, adding that they

merely chip in to ensure order. According to Kisii Governor James Ongwae, issues of street

children are still under the national government. So when county governments do not have the

mandate to allocate funds to rehabilitation centres, operating the centres becomes a challenge.

There is lack of capacity and technical expertise to handle many street boys and girls who need

counseling in the rehabilitation centres. For example most of the children lack parental love and

role models. This lowers their self-esteem and they always think of relapsing back to the streets.

One of the boys said this on my arrival at the rescue centre, “teacher umekuja kutupeleka

nyumbani” which literally means have you come to take us home. This implies that it’s really a

challenge for the rehabilitation centres to provide the same kind of parental love and care that the

children could have received while with their parents back at home.

39
Lack of adequate facilities in the rehabilitation centres. For instance classrooms for school going

boys and girls, beddings and one centre had no playing ground at all. The number of

rehabilitation centres is not enough and cannot therefore accommodate the ever increasing

number of street boys and girls. For instance lack of a playing ground, implies that the children

are not able to exercise and be involved in various sport activities and games that help in their

mental and physical growth and even sharpen their skills and talents.

Understaffed of social workers and staff in the rehabilitation centres. This was evident as you

could find the social worker doing the administrative office duties and at the same time

undertaking fieldwork activities thus affecting the performance of their duties as social workers.

For instance in Berur street care international, one of the social worker was doubling up as the

administrator and a counselor. There is need to ensure that adequate and qualified personnel are

employed to take up the positions of social workers to ensure effective service delivery.

The existing laws and policies in place are not fully implemented and that strategies to address

the issues of street children are not comprehensively utilized. During the FGDs social workers

pointed out that there are very weak policies and laws in place that deal with street children

issues. In addition there are no strategies in place for children officers and social workers when

dealing with the street children, and as such every rehabilitation institutions has its own approach

and this leads to duplication of services and waste of resources that could have been harnessed

for better use like investing in vocation skills trainings. Other challenges as narrated by the social

workers and key informants included; lack of interest from street boys and girls to change and

non-commitment from other institutions and stakeholders.

Table 5: Challenges facing rehabilitation

Rehabilitation challenges Frequency %

40
 Inadequate funds 19 39.6
Lack of technical expertise 4 8.3
Shortage of staff 9 18.75
Mismanagement of funds 1 2.1
Relapse of street children back to the streets 3 6.25
Inadequate facilities 12 25.0
Total 48 100.0

From table 4 above its evident that inadequate funds (39.9%), inadequate facilities (25.0%) and

shortage of staff (18.75%) are the main challenges facing rehabilitation of street boys and girls.

According to Rehabilitation Centres Managers, such challenges are attributed to factors such as,

lack of constitutional mandate by county governments to allocate rehabilitation funds in their

budgets and dysfunction of social institutions such as the family.

4.5 Effective gender responsive strategies for rehabilitation of street boys and girls

As a way of ensuring that rehabilitation of street boys and girls is a success; the study findings

suggests therefore that, it should be noted that not only the government agencies and NGOs but

also a family based approach should be incorporated. This includes involving the family in the

whole process of rehabilitation, as active agents of change from the family level, where parents

perform their responsibilities effectively so as to gap the high flux of children into the streets.

Just as the functionalist theory where body organs work in unison for better functioning of the

whole body so do the family.

Gender analysis should be done to ascertain the causes that forces children to the streets, so that

interventions can be can mainstreamed towards addressing such causes. It should also be able to

indicate the gender composition of street children by obtaining the sex disaggregated data and

how living in the streets affects their lives and well-being. Through gender analysis, issues like

41
inadequate facilities will be addressed because boys and girls have different needs which will be

assessed and intervened. It was evident during the study that most centres have not conducted

any gender analysis before and even the national government is planning on doing one this year

(2018).

The centres should strike a gender balance in their staff. During the study, in one centre there

was more male staff than female staff taking care of the girls and boys. In such situations the

issues affecting the girls might not be fully addressed as it will be difficult for them to

communicate sensitive issues affecting them. For example their biological changes as they grow

up and other needs specific to females and therefore affects the rehabilitation outcomes.

Hiring of qualified staff trained on relevant skills for rehabilitation, should be done in a way that

ensures not more than two thirds are of the same gender. This will go a long way in ensuring that

the set targets and goals are achieved for the rehabilitation programs. This means that boys and

girls will have role models who can directly influence and share with them their life experiences.

Thus can help them learn their gender roles which might have been eroded while living in the

streets.

Rehabilitation centres should consider mainstreaming gender in all their planned action,

programs and policies. This will ensure that the implications of both boys and girls are assessed

and that they become an integral part of their operations, policies and programs. Mainstreaming

gender means that the different needs of both boys and girls are taken care of and that gender

equality is enhanced in the rehabilitation centres.

42
The children should be accorded better health care and medical checkup on all the drugs they

might have taken while in the streets to avoid withdrawer symptoms. This should be done again

by a way of putting into consideration that boys and girls are affected differently by drugs.

Special attention should be paid on ensuring that girls and boys receive better health care check

regularly while in the rehabilitation centres.

Families should be informed and educated properly on the importance of ensuring that their

children are nurtured and brought up in the right ways (morals of good conduct and core societal

values). It can be done through forums at the community level involving both men and women.

This will go a long way in ensuring that both boys and girls grow up to be responsible members

of the society rather than resorting to street life.

Creation of loving and homely environment for children under rehabilitation, to help them regain

their self-esteem and open up to be assisted in issues affecting them. Accommodation should

ensure that boys and girls sleep in their respective dormitories or hostels. Such facilities as

washrooms should be made in a way that meets specific needs of boys and girls (Martin .M,

2015). For instance, if boys have two washrooms, girls should have more than that or even

double. For those with disabilities, special care should be given to them like provision of

wheelchairs and hearing aid or sign language assistant or helper, so that they feel at home and

treated equally as other children.

Proper watchdogs should be put in place to check on how resources are being utilized especially

from international as well as local donors. This can be done by including men and women and

ex-street children, who have made it in life despite their past experiences. This is because they

understand the importance of rehabilitation of street boys and girls. This will promote and

43
enhance transparency and accountability among the key stakeholders in the rehabilitation

process.

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction

This chapter highlights the major findings of the study and draws conclusions based on the

results. It also presents recommendations and the key areas for further research as informed by

the findings of the study.

44
5.1 Summary of Findings

The overall objective of the study was to examine the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street

boys and girls in Eldoret town. The study was guided by the following specific objectives which

were: First, to explore the gender composition of street children in Eldoret town. Secondly, to

examine the rehabilitation programs in place for boys and girls in Eldoret town. Thirdly, to find

out the challenges facing the rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret town and finally to

suggest effective gender responsive strategies to ensure street boys and girls are fully

rehabilitated.

The study was able to administer and analyze forty questionnaires to former street boys and girls

in the rehabilitation centres and also had eight key informant interviews. Focused group

discussions were conducted, one with social workers and three with former street boys and girls

in the rehabilitation centres. The researcher was also interested in studying the duration of the

respondents in the rehabilitation centres. It was evident that most parents of the respondents

either worked as casual labourers or had no jobs at all. In some instances the parents were living

separately while a few were still living together as narrated by the respondents during the focus

group discussions. Some of the respondents confessed of having abused drugs while in the

streets and selling scrap metals to buy food.

Study findings from key informant interviews revealed that the rehabilitation centres faced

challenges that include; inadequate funds and facilities, understaffing, unqualified personnel and

the “handout” phenomenon that makes it easy for the children to relapse back to the streets as

they are used to being given “handouts” that comes in form of money or food. This makes it hard

for the rehabilitation centres to contain the street children for long in the centres, and therefore

rehabilitation is not effective.

45
Focus group discussions with the street children undergoing rehabilitation, revealed that they

would like to be re-united with their parents once they have been rehabilitated. Some children

did complain of harsh conditions and the kind of treatment they receive while at the centres. For

instance, doing a lot of manual work, looking after the younger children and strict rules and

regulations as they are used to a lot of freedom while in the streets.

The study found out that the social workers and district children officers were familiar with child

regulations as enshrined in the Children’s Act of 2001 and Kenya constitution 2010. In addition,

children officers had in their possession legal instruments that are used in addressing children

issues like neglect by their parents and caregivers. Such instruments included, the United Nation

Convention on the Rights of the Child and Children’s Act of 2001. It was however noted through

the FDGs and key informant interviews with social workers that the instruments were not being

utilized as required by the law while performing their duty.

5.2 Conclusion

The study examined the social dynamics in rehabilitation of street boys and girls in Eldoret town.

Inadequate facilities and understaffed staff in the rehabilitation centres were identified as the

major challenges. Poor guidance and counseling services offered during rehabilitation were also

a factor that contributed to the ineffectiveness of the important service for the re-admittance of

street boys and girls to school. Programs that were in place for rehabilitation included: formal

and non-formal education, counseling and vocational training. Most of the interviewed children

revealed that their parents worked as casual labourers while others had no jobs at all.

There were several service providers identified by rehabilitation centres managers; which

included NGOs, FBOs, Business Community and Good Samaritans. However, some of the

services provided by the business community and Good Samaritans were identified, by social

46
workers as a factor that led to more children coming to the streets of Eldoret town. Street

children revealed that they needed to be more involved in informing service providers on what

they would want to be assisted with. It was also clear that street boys and girls undergoing

rehabilitation would want to participate in long term initiatives which were sustainable and

would assist them to be self-reliant in the long run. For instance, they wanted trainings on how to

participate in economic activities so that they could be more self-reliant and disengage from

dependency.

5.3 Recommendations

To ensure that rehabilitation of street boys and girls is effective, the researcher recommends the

following:

Emphasis should be put on parents on how they raise up their children, things like counseling

and mentoring them on life skills and academic progress, and most of all providing the

essential basic needs to them in a homely environment.

The County governments should be given a constitutional mandate to allocate funds in their

budgets, to facilitate the rehabilitation of street boys and girls in the rehabilitation centres.

The Government and other stakeholders should conduct community awareness creation and

sensitization on the challenges facing rehabilitation of street children at the community level

and design strategies aimed at reducing increasing numbers of street children to urban centres

in Eldoret and other towns in Kenya.

Employing qualified and trained staff on relevant skills for rehabilitation and conducting or

having regular refresher courses on drug and addiction and other capacity building trainings

for staff working in rehabilitation institutions.

47
 Creating a conducive and homely environment for the children under rehabilitation to help

them regain self-esteem and self-worth, so that they can open up to be assisted on their

personal issues.

Children’s Act and other local and international laws and policies relating to children should

be enforced, implemented and strict adherence by parents/guardians for the best interest of

the child.

The rehabilitation process requires efforts from not only the government, but the community

at large through family based approaches. This can be done by finding out the underlying

root causes why so many families today are dysfunctional.

5.4 Areas for further study

Based on the findings of the study, the researcher observed that there is still potential for further

research as the outcome of this study. Therefore, the researcher recommends that:

1. A study to be conducted to explore family based approaches that can be used in

rehabilitation of street boys and girls.

2. There is need to carry out a gender analysis to establish the numbers, gender, age and
level of education of street children and families in Eldoret town for better planning and
designing of relevant programmes and interventions for rehabilitation.
3. There is need to undertake further research on the number of Charitable Children

Institutions and rehabilitation centres in Eldoret town and its environs, and the services

provided to street children and the impact they have had on rehabilitation of street boys

and girls.

48
 4. The role of Non-governmental Organisation, Civil Society Organizations, Faith Based

Organizations and Business Community in rehabilitation of street boys and girls in

Kenya.

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