Nairobi County Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Mosiria has announced that his department will soon begin cracking down on vendors selling jet fuel and other harmful substances to street families.
In a statement on Sunday night, Mosiria relayed that this was in a bid to clear street families out of the Nairobi central business district (CBD).
"We have also begun raids on those selling jet fuel and other harmful substances to street families," he stated during a routine CBD inspection.
He added that he would be collaborating with the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) for enforcement in eradicating the rampant use of drugs and other harmful substances among street families.
As such, he urged good Samaritans willing to help these families to desist from giving them cash but buy them essentials like food instead. This, he said, could also deter fake beggars who pose as street families to attract empathy from do-gooders.
"We have started an operation to remove street families from our streets because some pretend to be homeless and beg for money. When offered support to go home, to rehabilitation centres, or shelters, they often refuse, being used to free cash on the streets," he stated.
"I urge anyone who wants to help not to give cash but to buy food and encourage them to return home or connect them with homes for the homeless. Giving money only fuels drug peddlers who sell substances to these vulnerable people in the CBD."
Mosiria was speaking after rescuing a street family member from an angry mob after he was caught attempting to steal recently installed bins in the CBD.
Other street families present during the altercation also expressed anger at the man, stating that his theft could have the families booted from the streets.
This move is the latest by the chief officer, who, during a recent CBD patrol, came across a mother with a young child claiming they had been abandoned by the child's mother, an assertion that turned out to be a ruse.
After paying for the woman's fare back home upcountry, the woman reportedly split the amount with the driver and refused to partake in the journey.
This revelation has now fuelled Mosiria's latest mission to drive fake homeless people from the streets who, especially, exploit children in a bid to attract empathy from unwitting Kenyans and get free money from them.
