By KT Reporter
Local leaders in Moroto District have expressed alarm over the growing number of children being abandoned by their families — a trend driving many aged between 5 and 15 to the streets and exposing them to exploitation, drug abuse, and school dropout.
Authorities attribute the increase to high poverty rates, domestic violence, and ignorance among community members. They warn that children’s rights to education, healthcare, food, and shelter are being severely undermined.
Moses Modern Lomilo, LC1 chairperson of Katanga Village and a para-social worker in Nadunget Sub-county, said that in July alone, he registered seven cases of children aged 6–12 who had been neglected by their parents. He revealed that many of these children have resorted to drug abuse and alcohol consumption due to lack of food, and some are forced into dangerous survival mechanisms, such as working in mining sites or being exploited as domestic workers in town. Lomilo accused some parents of deliberately abandoning their responsibilities, even producing children in large numbers to attract aid from well-wishers. He warned that parents who ignore their duties risk arrest for child neglect.
Mary Gorretti Longora, LCV female councillor for Nadunget Town Council, said that Moroto town has become crowded with street children from various sub-counties seeking casual labor. When they fail to find work, she noted, some feed from rubbish pits.
She linked the increase in street children to cattle raids that left many households without livestock, pushing idle boys to the streets. She said some parents have exploited the situation to avoid their responsibilities.
Kalisto Losike, the Community Development Officer for Tapac Sub-county, criticized parents for withdrawing children from school to work in gardens or mines while spending money on alcohol. He urged communities to embrace programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM) to boost household incomes and reduce child exploitation. He added that plans are underway to pass education ordinances compelling parents to keep their children in school.
The Moroto Education Office reports that over 40 percent of children enrolled in Universal Primary Education do not complete primary school, with most dropping out in upper primary due to poverty, parental neglect, and long distances to schools.
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