Mvita Member of Parliament Mohamed Soud Machele has called on both the Mombasa County and National government to make efforts to send street families and others sleeping by the roadsides in Mombasa back to their home counties.
Speaking during the Eid Baraza celebrations on Saturday, the Mvita legislature said street families were not only diminishing the image of the county but also a security threat.
“They are so many and in all major avenues from Jomo Kenyatta, Haile Sellasie to Moi. Those sleeping by the roadside also defecate right there by the roads. We have to return Mombasa’s image to its former glory,” said Machele.
The lawmaker wants Mombasa Governor to allocate a security budget in the next financial year to send the street families and the homeless back to their home counties.
“I believe everyone came from somewhere, if you came to Mombasa to seek employment and were not able to find a job, maybe you will be lucky to find one back home,” said the Mvita MP.
His sentiments come even as cases of people being robbed in the streets of Mombasa continue.
“There are streets you cannot walk in past 7 pm, you will be robbed and there is nothing you can do about it. You walk in the street and six to seven people are following you. So the Governor should take the initiative and send them back. If they are still here after six months then we will have to deal with them ourselves as Mombasa residents,” said Machele.
His sentiments were echoed by Mombasa Deputy County Commissioner Ronald Mwiwawi who added that street families and beggars were becoming a menace even to tourists.
“A tourist cannot go anywhere, everywhere they turn there is a hand begging. It is very shameful, and we have to work together to rid us of this shame,” said Mwiwawi.
Mwiwawi also noted that there was a group of people using people with disabilities as their sources of income.
“You see a PWD begging but behind that begging someone is waiting to collect the money at the end of every day. We are using PWDs for business and it is very disappointing,” added Mwiwawi.
