Lobby demands probe, accountability over deaths of 15 street children in NairobI

Undugu Society of Kenya led by Executive Director Eric Mukoya and Programme Manager Donnah Okumu during a press conference on January 1, 2026. /HANDOUT

Rights groups are demanding increased protection for street families and thorough investigations into the recent unexplained deaths of at least 15 street-connected children and youth in Nairobi.

The Undugu Society of Kenya (USK), a non-profit organisation that works with street-connected communities to build practical skills, entrepreneurship and recovery from drug and substance abuse, raised concern over what it termed a complete absence of accountability from state agencies over the deaths reported in the past month.

The issue drew national attention after nine street-connected individuals were buried last Friday alongside several unidentified street dwellers at Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi.

Police said some of the bodies had been collected from alleys and streets over the past month and taken to the Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City Mortuary.

Postmortem findings indicated causes of death including pneumonia, starvation and bodily injuries.

Some of the children were allegedly killed in mob justice incidents, while a few other cases were ruled as drowning.

While acknowledging the government’s commitment to waive hospital, mortuary and cemetery bills and to provide financial support to affected families, Undugu described the measures as “inadequate knee-jerk and cosmetic solutions that fail to address the underlying systemic failures responsible for these deaths”.

“These deaths and related harms illuminate both the harsh realities of street life and the failure of state agencies to fulfill their mandate to ensure rights and services for children and youth. These agencies are constitutionally obligated to provide social facilities that serve all Kenyans and residents equitably,” said Eric Mukoya, executive director of the Undugu Society of Kenya.

The organisation said the deaths highlight the extreme conditions under which street-connected communities live, describing homelessness at its most severe.

Their daily life, it said, is marked by fear, uncertainty and harassment by law enforcement.

Many face persistent hunger and are excluded from essential services, particularly those that require legal documentation, leaving them vulnerable to systemic exclusion, social discrimination, legal barriers and economic marginalisation.

While extending condolences to affected families, the society urged the government to conduct comprehensive investigations to establish the circumstances that led to the deaths and to make the findings public to ensure transparency and accountability.

The lobby also called for urgent programmes to provide street-connected communities with legal identification documents, including national identification cards and birth certificates, saying this would reduce discrimination and exclusion in line with Article 27 of the constitution.

It further demanded guarantees for personal security and safety for all persons under Article 29, accountability for agencies tasked with reducing and eradicating streetism and homelessness, and adequate resources to enable them to fulfil their mandate.

The group also urged reforms to the criminal justice approach to decriminalise petty and state-regulated offences it said had become frequent points of abuse by law enforcement and other actors, particularly in urban centres.

In addition, it called for a comprehensive review of housing policies and practices to address homelessness as a rights-based issue rather than a market-driven model that favours those with the means.

"Current affordable housing projects must be restructured to genuinely serve those experiencing homelessness," the group said.

Undugu said it remains committed to working with state and non-state actors to address homelessness through dignity, justice and accountability, insisting that justice for street-connected children and youth cannot be deferred or replaced with charity.