Kampala, Uganda — Behind the joint operations by police and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to remove begging children from city streets lies a darker, more disturbing reality — a network of traffickers exploiting vulnerable, disabled children from neighboring countries, forcing them into street begging for profit.
One such victim is 15-year-old Frank Mashaka, a Tanzanian boy living with a disability. He was trafficked into Uganda under false promises of free education at a donor-funded school. Instead, he was forced onto the streets to beg.
“We were told we would attend school, but when we reached Masaka, she told me it was all a hoax and that I would be begging on the streets,” Mashaka recalled, emotionally.
Mashaka was fed poorly and forced to surrender all his earnings to his trafficker. He was eventually relocated to Mukono, where intensified police and municipal enforcement operations were underway. His trafficker abandoned him in the area and fled.
Authorities rescued him and transferred him to Good Samaritan Inclusive School and Home in Mukono Municipality, where he is now receiving care. However, his story is not unique.
Another victim, seven-year-old Rehema — also from Tanzania and living with a disability — is currently at the same home. Unlike Mashaka, Rehema is too young to recall her exact origin.
All she remembers is being picked up from her home and transported to Uganda by a woman who claimed she was taking her to her parents.
“She gave me a cup and told me to beg on the road,” Rehema, seated in a wheelchair, said softly.
The director of the home, Fred Migadde, confirmed their stories and revealed that several other Tanzanian children have been trafficked into Uganda for forced begging.
According to Migadde, traffickers often impose daily financial targets on children and resort to physical abuse if the targets aren’t met.
“So far, four Tanzanian children have come to our home. We’ve managed to trace and reunite two with their families, but we’re still working on the others,” Migadde said.
He expressed particular concern for Rehema, who suffers from a rare condition related to osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily — even from minor bumps or no apparent cause. She is currently confined to a wheelchair and kept apart from other children to avoid injury.
These harrowing cases highlight ongoing challenges in Uganda’s battle against child trafficking, especially involving children with disabilities.
The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2009, criminalizes both sex and labor trafficking, with sentences of up to 15 years for adult victims and life imprisonment for offenses involving children.
Abandonment of Disabled Children
Besides victims of trafficking, Good Samaritan Home also cares for dozens of disabled children abandoned by their parents. According to Migadde, many are simply left at the gate, with no identifying information.
The centre currently houses over 90 children, suffering from conditions such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, albinism, HIV/AIDS, autism, and Down syndrome. Four children have severe cases of spina bifida, rendering them unable to sit or stand.
“Most of these children are expensive to maintain,” Migadde said. “We spend about UGX 300,000 daily just on food. We rely on well-wishers, and when any child gets sick, things become harder. We don’t even have an ambulance for emergencies.”
Probation Officer Jackline Mirembe urged parents to take responsibility rather than abandoning children with disabilities.
“Imagine leaving a child with cerebral palsy at a centre already stretched thin. At the very least, follow proper procedures to hand over the child and keep offering some support,” she said.
The growing crisis underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement of anti-trafficking laws, improved support systems for children with disabilities, and increased public awareness about the hidden plight of children trafficked or abandoned on Uganda’s streets.
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