As the country celebrated the international Day of the African Child yesterday, police in Karamoja intercepted 18 unaccompanied children aboard a gateway bus travelling to Kampala.
Karamoja Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr.George Obia told this site that the kids aged between 4 and 15years were nabbed at a trading centre in Iriir Sub County, Napak district.
“The 18 children were intercepted at about 4:00am in the morning by police at Iriir trading centre after a tip off from concerned local residents” Obia said.
He added that police is investigating on whether there are some people behind the movement of these children to the city.
“Though the kids were unaccompanied, we suspect that there could be some people trying to use them like in earlier incidences” Obia added.
He explained that the Gateway bus in which the children were in had travelled from Moroto Municipality very early at around 3:30am and was heading to Mbale and Kampala.
Mr. Obia said the vice of child trafficking in Moroto had stopped for a while following the occasional Police road checks along the Moroto – Soroti high way.
Recently over 300 Karimojong families who were begging in the streets of Kampala were repatriated back to Karamoja when government offered them start up capital and household property.
Most of the Karimojong beggars are found in Kampala suburbs like Kisenyi near St. Balikudembe market and blue room area in Kampala district.
At the main celebration ground to mark the day of the African child and the belated International day against Child Labour in Moroto district, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner, Mr. Bob Opio observed that Karimojong children have been victims of different kinds of abuses for long and that government and development partners are now ready to support the children so that they can be reasonable and respectable future citizens.
“It is time for Karimojong children to enjoy equal rights with other children the world over. Every thing is possible because government and other partners are ready” Mr. Opio said.
In honour of the children, the guest of honour for the day was 12 year old Brenda Akodo a primary three pupil of Child Jesus nursery and primary school in Moroto district.
In a move aimed at fighting different forms of child abuse in the region, government in partnership with development partners like Save the children in Uganda has constructed 10 centres spread in two Karamoja districts of Kotido and Moroto to keep children faced by conflict before they are handled by the probation office.
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