KCCA Rescues 114 Children from Kampala Streets in Ongoing Crackdown

City authorities and security personnel in Kampala have rescued 114 children from the streets in an evening operation aimed at removing vulnerable youth from exploitative urban environments.

The group, comprising 82 girls and 32 boys, endured days and nights on the streets in search of food and survival. Following the operation, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) announced that the children are being transferred to Masulita Children’s Village in Wakiso District. There, they will undergo rehabilitation before being successfully reintegrated into schools and their local communities.

KCCA emphasized that rescue operations remain ongoing across all divisions of the city to ensure children are placed in safer environments. Many minors are deliberately lured from various parts of Uganda to Kampala under false promises of employment and better opportunities, only to find themselves trapped in difficult street conditions.

This latest intervention follows a series of similar crackdowns by city authorities. In September, KCCA repatriated at least 200 street children to Napak District. KCCA Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki previously highlighted the ongoing challenge of child trafficking, stressing that the authority is working to investigate and prosecute traffickers while urging local district authorities to adopt protective policy frameworks.

Stakeholders like Denis Okori, Head of Programmes at UWESO, have called for the full operationalization of the National Strategy for the Elimination of the street children phenomenon and the enforcement of local ordinances to support vulnerable communities.

Since January, KCCA has reportedly rescued more than 900 street children from diverse origins including Napak, Masaka, Mbarara, Mbale, Kisoro, and Iganga. Masulita Children’s Village currently hosts around 640 rescued children, continuing a long-standing initiative that has supported thousands of youth since 1989.

Read the original story on the Daily Monitor.