A distress call led to the rescue of an ailing young boy abandoned on the streets near a church in Nairobi, in an incident that has reignited debate about parental responsibility and child protection in urban centres.
Nairobi County Executive Committee Member for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, said he found the boy outside AIC Milimani Church along State House Avenue after receiving a distress call from a concerned housing official.
According to Mosiria, the child appeared to have been abandoned by his parents, believed to reside in Kilimani along Kirichwa Road.
“What we found was heartbreaking,” Mosiria said, describing the boy as gravely ill and in severe pain.
The child reportedly had a large infected wound on his leg and buttocks that had developed maggots, leaving him unable to sit or walk comfortably.
He was also unable to control his bodily functions, an indication of prolonged neglect and lack of medical care.
County officials immediately intervened, washing the boy, cleaning his wounds, and dressing him in clean clothes donated by the officer who raised the alarm.
Through tears, the child told rescuers he had disagreements with his parents before being chased away from home.
Mosiria condemned the abandonment, saying that regardless of a child’s mistakes, parents have a duty to guide and protect them.
The boy was rushed to Mbagathi Hospital, where he is receiving urgent medical treatment.
Mosiria appealed to the parents to visit their son and take responsibility, while urging Kenyans to reject child abandonment.
“A child on the streets is not just a family failure — it is a failure of all of us,” he said.