By Melanie Aanyu

The Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye has appealed to the public to stop giving money to street children.

The state minister said that giving money to child beggars on the streets encourages the vice that the government is struggling to put an end to.

His comments come days after the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) carried out an operation around the city that saw at least 194 children taken off the streets.

According to the Minister, the children were mainly from Karamoja and will now be rehabilitated and taken back to their families.

Kyofatogabye said that they had established that the mothers of these children give them up to be used as beggars on the streets and traffickers pay Shs5000 per day.

KCCA said that there is cheap accommodation in Katwe, Kisenyi and Makindye that is mainly operated by Karimojong, which makes it easier for the children to stay in Kampala at minimal costs.

In 2019, KCCA passed the Kampala Child Protection Ordinance 2019 which criminalises children loitering in public places, begging or soliciting, giving money to street beggars, vending or hawking, and bans the sale of alcohol and drugs to children, however,the ordinance is yet to be gazetted.