At first sight, you may mistake him for a traffic officer but after a closer look, you will realize he is just a volunteer helping children to cross safely the busy Nairobi- Mombasa Highway.
This is not his full time occupation though. Elijah Mutie works at the inspectorate office of Machakos County Government, but devotes his early and late hours of the day to ensuring that school children get to school and back home safely.
In a candid interview with Education News, Mutie says he was touched by the dangers children are exposed to at least twice daily as they journey between school and home.
“The cases (accidents) were many and it really hurt me. One day I rescued a kid who had been hit and decided to help the children cross. The road is not dual, making it hard for the children to cross,” he said.
His morning starts as early as 6 am to end about 12 hours later. He has done this delightfully for over eight years now.
“I start at 6 am; after all children have crossed I go to work and come again at 4:30 pm till 6 pm,” he said.
This is not all that he does. With the collaboration of KeNHA, KURRA and KERRA, he has conducted awareness campaigns on road safety in various schools.
“We have done it at Katani, Athi River, Kinanie, Mavoko, and Lukenya primary schools. The initiative has brought about a reduction in accidents involving kids to 1 per cent,” he said.
Coincidentally, his activities have brought him face to face with the reality of children running away from home or school, saying he has managed to save over 100 of them.
“When I meet such kids I liaise with the children’s department to ensure they are reunited with their families and taken back to school,” he narrates, adding that his is a calling that not everyone can do.
“There is no way you can do this job unless it’s a calling because I’m not paid by anyone, but I enjoy helping those children,” he said.
By Agnes Orang’o
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