This paper examines the construction of subaltern childhoods in Emmanuel Mbogo’s Watoto wa Maman’tilie, focusing on marginalized children's vulnerability and resilience within the oppressive social structures of urban Tanzania. Drawing on Subaltern Theory (Gramsci, 1971; Spivak, 1988), the study examines how children are represented as marginalised subjects whose lives are shaped by poverty, social exclusion, and limited access to protection and resources. A qualitative textual design was employed, using close reading and thematic analysis of the novel. The findings reveal that subaltern childhoods are constructed through poverty, family instability, parental neglect, and social inequality, exposing children to multiple forms of vulnerability. Simultaneously, the novel portrays children as active agents who develop diverse survival strategies, including informal labour, social networking, and resilience in negotiating everyday hardships. Nevertheless, their agency remains constrained by dominant social and economic structures that restrict their opportunities and silence their voices. The study concludes that the novel presents subaltern childhood as a complex condition marked by the coexistence of vulnerability and survival. By foregrounding children’s lived experiences, the study contributes to scholarship on subaltern childhoods, marginalisation, and inequality while enhancing understanding of how African literature represents vulnerable children’s agency and survival strategies.