Written by Frankline Bwire 2012-04-03 17:39:00 Read 1043 Times

Mama Orphan children home in Busia district. The owners of the orphanages have been given a notice to register their homes or else be closed.

Owners of unregistered orphanages in Busia district have been given a three months notice to register their homes by July 2012 or risk being shut down.

 Busia district children’s officer Auston Maungu said the homes should comply with the key conditions required to ensure orphans are well taken care of in line with the conditions put in place.

Speaking to journalists in Busia town, Maungu said those that will not be registered by the set date will be closed down, adding that among a total of five orphanage homes in Busia one has been registered while four have received notices of closure to comply.

“Failure to comply by the set requirements required to run the orphanage homes by July, they will be closed down,” he said.

He said that a spot check undertaken by the children’s office established that many children in the orphanage homes in Busia district were supposed to be returned to their families, arguing that many of them were not needy.

Busia children's officer Auston Maungu.

“Children who are not in need and can be integrated with their families, should be moved from the orphanage homes to decongest them immediately before the date of notice,” said the children’s officer.

He also said that the public and those individuals interested in setting up children homes were not aware of the guidelines, adding that most of them had not bothered to consult them for guidance.

“Those who are imagining that they have children homes and yet they have not visited our offices or the social service offices should come for guidance to avoid going against the law,” he said adding that anybody who wants to keep custody of a child without visiting the children office will be treated as a criminal.

The orphanage homes in Busia include Mama Orphan, Busia Compassionate, End time, new creation children home and Brigita.

Meanwhile, Churches have been blamed for rampant child abuses and delinquency, a move that has led many of them to become rebellious to their parents in the society.

According to the Samia district children’s officer Dishon Otuko, churches have failed to provide proper and effective spiritual guidance to children starting at their early childhood.

Otuko complained that church leaders have only continued to consider adult parents for their offerings in churches and not ensuring that children in the society are guided well.

Addressing members of Locational Council for children from Bunyala West in Bunyala district, the children officer disclosed that in every 10 cases reported, 7 cases are found to come from Christians who do not go to church.

“Some churches have left their members (children) to engage in criminal activities such as child prostitution, stealing, pornographic and unethical behavior in the communities,” said Otuko.

He implored church leaders to go back to the drawing board and reach the families of their members in a bid to find out how their children live and provide them with adequate spiritual guidance and control.

Participants during the meeting included medical officers, Volunteer Children Officers and the Bunyala district children’s officer Maurice Okiru among other stakeholders.

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