Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore has announced that the government seeks to abolish all Children’s Homes and Orphanages that are privately owned.
Speaking in Isiolo Bore revealed that only government-owned homes under the Child Welfare Society of Kenya will be allowed to operate.
The CS stated that private homes have been avenues for child trafficking.
“The reason why we are closing them up is because we have been given directions under the children’s Act that the private homes should be closed. They have also been routes for child trafficking, so government wants us to retain the institutions that we have under the child welfare society of Kenya,” Bore said.
Further, the CS revealed that the government will implement the changes within 8 years.
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“In the next eight years those private homes will not exist. We need to prepare in order to absorb those children that will come from private homes,” she said.
The Children’s Act also aims to support children's rights to grow up in families and communities.
Data from the Social Protection Department showed that 45,000 -50,000 children live in about 855 private charitable children’s institutions, and others live in government-run institutions as of November 2022.