Health experts and other stake holders in Bugisu Sub-region have raised concern over the high consumption of narcotics and other mind altering substances by street children in Mbale City and other urban areas. They said as a result of this, many of the street children face mental health challenges. According to the authorities, Mbale City has 300 street children.
Most of the street children in the city are from areas such as Bungokho, Lwaso, Namabasa, Bukonde, and neighboring districts like Sironko and Namisindwa, among others. Mr France Olaboro, the branch manager of Child Restoration Organisation (CRO),described mental health as one of the biggest challenges faced by children living on the streets.
The street children consume drugs such as marijuana and khat. They also sniff paint thinners, glue, and industrial alcohol, among others, in an attempt to get high and escape, even if only briefly, the hardships they are subjected to. ‘When we tried to ask where the aviation fuel they use comes from, one child simply said it comes ‘from above.’ If those ‘from above’ are not in a position to protect and control how these drugs are being distributed to children, it becomes very challenging to manage the situation,’ Mr Olaboro said. He added that abuse of drugs and other mind altering substances has exposed street children to serious health issues, damaging their minds and other organs.
Mr Olaboro called upon security agencies and local leaders to urgently address the issue . *Wanyala, a street child, said: ‘I came to the streets after my mother left when I was four years old, and my father later married another woman who mistreated me. Whenever I reported the mistreatment to my father, nothing was done about it.’ *Namusoso, a 10-year-old street child, said the drugs and other substances they consume relieve stress occasioned by the rough life on the streets. *Matenga, another child living on the street, said he has abused drugs and other substances for two years . ‘The reason I ended up on the street was because my family slaughtered my chicken and did not give me even a single piece.
On the street, you cannot cope without using drugs,’ he said. In September, police in Mbale City began hunting for suspects linked to the illegal trade in aviation fuel after officers impounded 11 jerry cans of the substance during an operation at a taxi park. Mr Rogers Taitika, the Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, said the police arrested a suspect who was reportedly found in possession of several jerrycans of jet fuel in a taxi parked at a petrol station near the taxi park. Mr Taitika said police are continuing with the investigations to establish the source and destination of the aviation fuel and to identify the dealers involved. Dr Benard Maumbe, a senior medical officer at Busiu Health Centre IV in Mbale District, said misuse of the fuel and abuse of drugs damages the brain and causes memory loss, poor concentration, confusion, among others.
‘Some children start using this fuel as young as eight years old and effects are not only mental but also physical and also prolonged use can lead to criminal behaviour and even madness,’ he said. Dr Maumbe added that because of long-term abuse of drugs and other substances, many children have ended up in mental health facilities. The abuse of the substances also causes complications in the respiratory system. He emphasised that these children require long-term treatment, including therapy and counselling from psychiatrists, as well as medical treatment to manage withdrawal symptoms. Dr Maumbe called upon the government to develop policies to prevent children from ending up on the streets. He urged parents to take responsibility and ensure their children remain at home to have a bright future.
Mr John Muganda, a resident of Mbale City , said the children face many challenges, with the girls being worst hit. He said some of the girls are sexually abused by unscrupulous men, leading to unwanted pregnancies and exposure to sexually sexually transmitted diseases. Ms Josephine Lunyolo, the female councillor for Industrial Division West, said the abuse of drugs and other substances causes street children to engage in criminal activities such as robbery. ‘As leaders, the situation is worrying, and we cannot make this town clean if we still have these children on the streets,’ she said. Ms Lunyolo added that the city leaders should establish places were these children can be rehabilitated.
‘As a city, we need to come up with a policy of confining these children in one place and planning for them including training them in vocational skills,’ she said. Ms Aisha Mutonyi Mugoya, another councillor, said child neglect and domestic violence are main causes of children leaving their homes to live on streets. She urged parents to make homes safe for children. Mr Dominic Wanzila, the senior probation officer of Mbale City, said the children living on the streets are both full-time and part-time-meaning some stay on the streets permanently, while others come during the day and return to their homes in the evening. ‘The numbers have continued to increase and this is a threat to the city, which is growing,’ he said.
He added:’During my interactions with the children, I found that the main causes of children living on the streets include family breakups, child neglect, gender-based violence, discrimination, peer influence, and several pull factors,’ he said. Mr Wazila explained that other pull factors include charity organisations providing free food, illegal food markets where children offer cheap labour, and other incentives that make street life appear more comfortable to them. Mr James Kutosi, the public relations officer of Mbale City, said the increasing number of street children, from 200 in 2024 to 300 this year, has become a major menace. *Names of the street children have been altered to protect their identities.