The governor for Meru County has moved to clear street beggars in Meru town after ordering the arrest of beggars and the people who bring them to the county streets.
Governor Kiraitu Murungi complained of the many beggars within the town and accused some dubious people of enriching themselves by misusing people living with disabilities.
“All the people who bring in beggars to the streets should be arrested together with the beggars,” Murungi said.
He called on the beggers to enroll with the newly launched Sacco aimed at making them self-reliant.
“I encourage them to instead join the PWD Sacco to benefit from skills training and financial support,” he added.
The Meru County CEO noted that his administration would separately advertise tenders for people living with disabilities(PWDs) to combat exploitation that the minority group faces.
Kiraitu was speaking at the county headquarters during the official launch of the Sacco. He said Sh15 million has been allocated to start the PWDs Sacco, of which Sh5 million will be used to train the members in different fields and the remainder saved in the Sacco.
The Sacco already has 1,700 members. “We are ready to work day and night to ensure that the rights of the people with disabilities are respected,” said the Sacco Chairman, Mike Makarina.
