By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, February 02, 2026 - The unexplained deaths of at least 15 street-connected children and young people in Nairobi within a single month have sparked renewed calls for investigations, accountability and long-term reforms to protect some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The Undugu Society of Kenya (USK) has accused state agencies of failing to take responsibility for the deaths, warning that quick fixes such as waiving hospital and burial fees do not amount to justice.
The matter drew national attention last week when nine street-connected individuals were buried at Lang’ata Cemetery alongside several unidentified street dwellers. Police said some of the bodies had been recovered from alleys and streets across the city and later taken to the Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City Mortuary.
Postmortem examinations pointed to causes of death including pneumonia, starvation and bodily injuries. Authorities said some victims were allegedly killed in mob justice incidents, while other cases were linked to drowning.
While acknowledging government support to cover medical, mortuary and burial costs, Undugu dismissed the response as superficial. The organisation described the measures as “inadequate knee-jerk and cosmetic solutions that fail to address the underlying systemic failures responsible for these deaths”.
“These deaths and related harms illuminate both the harsh realities of street life and the failure of state agencies to fulfill their mandate to ensure rights and services for children and youth,” said Undugu executive director Eric Mukoya. “These agencies are constitutionally obligated to provide social facilities that serve all Kenyans and residents equitably.”
Undugu said the deaths expose the extreme and often invisible conditions faced by street-connected communities, where daily life is shaped by fear, hunger and uncertainty. According to the group, many are routinely harassed by law enforcement, denied basic services and locked out of opportunities because they lack legal identification documents.
Extending condolences to affected families, the organisation urged the government to carry out comprehensive investigations into the deaths and to make the findings public to ensure transparency and accountability.
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The lobby group also called for urgent programmes to provide street-connected people with national identity cards and birth certificates, saying the lack of documentation fuels discrimination and exclusion, contrary to Article 27 of the Constitution.
In addition, Undugu demanded guarantees of personal security under Article 29, accountability for agencies tasked with addressing streetism and homelessness, and adequate funding to enable them to deliver on their mandate.
The group further pushed for reforms in the criminal justice system, including the decriminalisation of petty and state-regulated offences, which it said often become entry points for abuse by law enforcement, especially in urban areas.
On housing, Undugu urged a rethink of current policies to treat homelessness as a rights issue rather than a market-driven problem.
“Current affordable housing projects must be restructured to genuinely serve those experiencing homelessness,” the group said.
Undugu maintained that it remains ready to work with both state and non-state actors but insisted that justice for street-connected children and youth “cannot be deferred or replaced with charity”.
