KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda is intensifying efforts to tackle the exploitation of children brought to Kampala for street begging and other forms of informal work, as authorities continue returning rescued children to their home communities.

The latest intervention saw around 200 children who had been living on the streets of Kampala taken back to Napak District after receiving care and rehabilitation at Masulita Children’s Village in Wakiso District. The children had spent about a month at the facility before being prepared for reunification with their communities and a return to education.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director Sharifah Buzeki has warned people involved in recruiting or transporting children to Kampala that authorities intend to pursue legal action against them.

According to local officials, some vulnerable children are brought to the capital after being promised employment, financial opportunities or improved living conditions. Instead, they can become trapped in street begging, hawking and other activities that expose them to exploitation.

KCCA has said that poverty cannot justify the recruitment and exploitation of children. Authorities are urging district governments and community leaders to strengthen systems that support family reunification, education and the long-term protection of children returning from the streets.

The problem extends beyond the children themselves. Officials and child-protection organisations have warned that simply removing children from city streets may not be enough if the economic and social circumstances that make them vulnerable remain unresolved.

KCCA has therefore called for greater cooperation between local governments, families, community leaders and child-protection organisations. Parents and caregivers have also been urged not to allow children to be transported to Kampala for begging or street-based work.

The authority has reported that hundreds of vulnerable children have been rescued from Kampala’s streets during operations carried out in 2026. KCCA’s official figures also show that children returned to Napak have been placed back into formal education, while some young people have been directed toward vocational training.

Officials are additionally encouraging members of the public to report suspected cases of child recruitment and trafficking. Transport operators, landlords, market authorities and business owners have been identified as groups that can help authorities detect adults who may be facilitating the exploitation of children.

The latest repatriation is therefore being viewed not simply as an operation to clear children from Kampala’s streets, but as part of a broader effort to restore access to education, family care and safer living conditions.

For Uganda, the challenge now is to ensure that children who return home remain protected and do not become vulnerable to being brought back to the streets.