Ugandan officials have passed a law making it an offence to offer money, food or clothing to children living on the streets of the capital, in a controversial bid to stop exploitation and sexual abuse.

The Kampala Child Protection Ordinance 2019 also criminalises children loitering in public places, begging or soliciting, vending or hawking, and bans the sale of alcohol and drugs to children.

Kampala’s deputy Lord Mayor, Sarah Kanyike, said the law would control the influx of street children and encourage voluntary initiatives to help them leave the streets.

“All along we have had no law governing these children. This bill provides for protection of children against certain forms of exploitation and sexual abuse. We have put [in place] penalties for the offenders,” Kanyike said.

Offenders face up to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of 40,000 Ugandan shillings (£9), or both.

At least 10,000 to 15,000 children, mainly from the semi-arid north-east Karamoja region, live on the streets in Kampala, according to government estimates.

“We have nowhere to go. It’s through begging that we earn a living,” said 14-year-old Esther. “We are not scared and [we are] ready to face the [legal] consequences.”

The law is “firefighting”, warned Ariong Moses, president of the Global Health Corps Fellowship Alumni Association of Uganda, as it doesn’t address the origins of the problem.

“We are running away from addressing the root causes that have brought so many children to the streets, instead opting to punish those who try to help them. Those kids need help, not isolation and segregation,” Moses said.

Other activists have welcomed the new legislation as a way to prevent people from seeking to exploit youngsters.

“We believe that this law, if well implemented, will help us in reducing the pull factors and making the streets as difficult as possible, particularly for the exploiters,” said Faith Atwine, deputy director communications, strategy and impact at Dwelling Places, Uganda.

“We believe [the law] will go a long way in reducing the magnitude of the problem. Children will not come to the streets to beg if they are receiving nothing from the streets,” she said.

However, she cautioned: “We have to stay alert and watch out for any new ideas that these exploiters might come up with, so that we are able to act immediately to ensure children are protected from exploitation by selfish people out there.”

Lack of jobs, neglect, parents’ failure to adequately provide for children’s needs and high poverty rates are among the factors that drive children to a life on the streets.

Some eight million or 21.4% of Ugandans are living in poverty, according to the revised National Household Survey report published in January 2018.