Ugandans who give money to child beggars face fine of £8

UGANDANS who give money or food to street children in the country’s capital will be fined £8 under measures designed to end child exploitation.

Councillors in Kampala adopted a bylaw banning alms to street children after hearing arguments that such charity often did more harm than good.

The sight of young children begging from motorists and pedestrians is a common one in Kampala and other African cities.

But many have been cajoled into begging by networks of criminals who pocket the proceeds.

In some countries, like Kenya, homeless children are given glue in return, creating an addiction that helps keep children on the streets and further fuels the trade, activists say.

Officials in Uganda claim that children are often brought into the capital from elsewhere by criminals.

“It’s now a lucrative business for some individuals who procure these kids from various parts of the country and bring them to the streets of Kampala,” said Erias Lukwago, Kampala’s lord mayor.

“It’s a business. We want to bring that to an end,” he added.

Religious groups that work with street children and which lobbied for the legislation welcomed the fine, which represents a significant amount of money in Uganda.

“Wherever you see a [street] kid, there is an older person sitting 100m away,” said Solomon Mayanja, a pastor who advises the Kampala capital city authority.

“Giving these children money doesn’t benefit them – it goes to a rich man.”