The children, aged between 9 and 15, survive on gathering waste from bins, water drainage channels, and along the street. They collect used water bottles, polythene bags, paper, and steel. They are working primarily for a livelihood.
The waste material is sold in kilograms. One kilogram of recyclable waste bottles earns a street child one hundred shillings while a kilo of steel goes for 1,000 shillings.
The children sell the materials to Bruno Lubuulwa, a scrap dealer who resells for a profit.
Lubuulwa believes that street children contribute a lot to waste management in the city.
The youngsters are however concerned that they are regularly mistaken them for thieves and give them a hard time as they go about their work.
Shaban Cekecan, who uses crutches, nearly lost his life when a car ran over his foot as he collected scrap. The injury has left him incapacitated and he struggles to get food.
Some of the street children sniff aviation fuel to be able to cope with their lifestyle.
NTV tried to find out where they buy the jet fuel and whether they are aware that this fuel contains lead which can damage the brain and the nervous system.
When the day is down, the children crowd into a shipping container to rest until the following day when they continue to labour.
In the next part, the story of people who make a living from waste collected from the city center and dumped in Kiteezi landfill.