Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SFRTR) has established a committee that will oversee and address issues and concerns of the homeless, destitute and vulnerable people in Bungoma County.
SFRTR Bungoma chapter is among 23 county chapters established in the country to coordinate rehabilitation activities for street families and to mobilise resources for the programmes.
Speaking during the official launch of the Bungoma County Chapter at the Agriculture boardroom Friday, the programme officer Lucy Kamuri said the committee will have a maximum of 15 members drawn from the national government, county government, faith-based organisations, and other agencies that deal directly with issues facing street families.
She said this will be in line with national policy on the rehabilitation of street families that has developed a framework to coordinate and harmonise street families’ rehabilitation programmes.
Kamuri said the county chapter will ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of management of street families programmes to avoid duplication of services and to bring services closer to the people.
She expressed concern at the high number of institutions purporting to carry out programmes targeting street families, saying some of them existed on paper and not on the ground.
Kamuri called on enforcement officers to exercise humanity when mopping up street families from the towns and asked the chapter to map out rescue homes that can absorb such families when they are evicted from the streets.
Acting Bungoma County Children’s Co-coordinator Hellen Mosoti said the chapter will develop a work plan that will guide in the implementation of strategies that will ensure the issue of street families is resolved in the area.
Members of the Board of Trustees at SFRTR, John Kireria and Emma Wanjiku, attended the launch.