Pneumonia, starvation linked to death of street families in Nairobi

An autopsy on the bodies of street families who were found dead at various places in Nairobi revealed pneumonia was the cause of the deaths.

The postmortem also blamed starvation and bodily injuries on some of the victims.

Some of the children were killed in mob injustice incidents.

Ten of the bodies were buried at the Langata Cemetery in an emotional ceremony.

Pathologists said most of the bodies had lung infections linked to pneumonia. This caused the deaths.

There was concerns about the deaths of the about 15 street families in the city in the past month alone.

One of them had drowned, the autopsy said.

The postmortem was conducted at the City Mortuary on Thursday before the bodies were buried.

The air at Lang’ata Cemetery was heavy with grief and unasked questions as Nairobi bid a tearful farewell to the ten of its street children, their young lives cut short by the harsh indifference of the city.

In scenes that would break the hardest of hearts, fellow street families served as the pallbearers.
They carried the small white coffins, some containing bodies of infants as young as three months old.
The burial, coordinated by philanthropist Agnes Kagure, was a rare moment of dignity for a community that lives and dies in the shadows.

The most disturbing aspect of this tragedy is the silence surrounding the deaths.

The bodies were collected from various city mortuaries, including City Mortuary and Mama Lucy Hospital.
Causes of death remain vague—pneumonia, malnutrition, “mob justice”—euphemisms for the brutal reality of street life.

There were no government officials present, no speeches from the Children’s Department.

The sight of a tiny coffin for a three-month-old baby brought the gathering to its knees. Born on the pavement, died on the pavement.

Kagure called for a systemic overhaul of how Nairobi handles its vulnerable children.

Police said most of the bodies were collected from the streets.

The burial highlights the exploding crisis of homelessness in Nairobi, exacerbated by the demolitions in informal settlements.

Street families in Kenya, numbering over 46,000 as of 2018 with significant populations in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, face severe challenges including violence, malnutrition, and exposure to harsh weather.

A 2025 census is underway to update data for rehabilitation, as the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SFRTF) works to provide shelter, education, and reintegration, with girls being particularly vulnerable to exploitation