Nairobi is a city of lights, but for its street children, it has become a graveyard. A chilling wave of unexplained deaths has swept through the capital’s homeless community, claiming 15 young lives in a single month. Now, the Undugu Society of Kenya is drawing a line in the dust, demanding an immediate independent probe into what they term a "silent cleansing."

The call for justice comes days after a heartbreaking mass burial at Lang'ata Cemetery, where nine small coffins were lowered into the earth. Among them was an infant, barely three months old. The images of barefoot street boys serving as pallbearers for their fallen friends have seared the conscience of the nation. "These are not just statistics," said Eric Mukoya, Executive Director of the Undugu Society. "These are children of Kenya, and they are dying under our watch."

The Mystery of the Deaths

The official narrative is murky. Some death certificates cite pneumonia and malnutrition—diseases of poverty. But whispers from the street tell a darker story of "mob justice," police brutality, and poisoned food. The bodies were collected from different corners of the city—Mlango Kubwa, Mathare, the CBD—suggesting a widespread crisis rather than a localized incident.

The Ministry, led by PS Cheptumo, has promised a probe, but rights groups are skeptical of a government investigating itself. The lack of post-mortem reports for many of the victims has only deepened the suspicion of a cover-up. "We want to know why healthy boys are dropping dead," demanded a representative from a street families' alliance.

• Systemic Neglect: The tragedy exposes the utter failure of rehabilitation programs. Despite billions poured into social protection, street families remain targets of violence and victims of state apathy.
• Immediate Demands: The lobby is calling for the release of all autopsy reports, the prosecution of any officers found complicit, and a halt to the violent "sweeps" often conducted to clean up the city streets.

A Moral Indictment

The death of 15 children in 30 days is not a misfortune; it is a massacre by neglect. As Nairobi’s elites drive past the roundabouts where these children once begged, the silence from the authorities is deafening.

The Undugu Society has vowed to keep the pressure on. Until the truth is unearthed, the ghosts of Lang'ata will haunt the corridors of power. Nairobi cannot claim to be a world-class city while it buries its children in mass graves.