An organisation that publicises cases of missing children and coordinates with the police to trace them is reporting that 69 out of 158 cases it received in 2025 are unresolved.
Missing Child Kenya says that of the 69 children that went missing without a trace, 41 were teenagers between 13 and 17 years, accounting for 44 per cent of the total.
The organisation’s founder and CEO, Ms Maryana Munyendo, told Nation Lifestyle that the group of missing teenagers is linked to “runaway cases, peer influence, school transitions, and urban mobility”.
The second largest group among the 69 unresolved cases was children aged between six and 12. They accounted for 22 cases.
“These cases are often reported missing while playing, running errands, or commuting to and from school,” said Ms Munyendo.
Maryana Munyendo, founder Missing Child Kenya, during the interview at the organization's Nairobi office on September 16, 2019.
Photo credit: File | Nation
“They include children with disabilities who wandered or were separated from caregivers,” Ms Munyendo noted in an interview that followed the release of 2025 data by Missing Child Kenya.
When we asked for case studies of some of the 69 children, she offered three examples: one of a boy who was last seen playing football near a residential area; another of a teenager who had been disappearing from home due to peer pressure; and another of a child last seen in the company of an unidentified woman.
In all, 27 of the children who disappeared without a trace have one form of disability or another. That number comprises 14 boys and 13 girls.
Ms Munyendo said the disabilities include “autism (verbal and non-verbal), epilepsy, hearing and speech impairments, developmental delays, and combined impairments”.
“Communication barriers significantly complicate tracing efforts,” she added.
The organisation receives reports of missing children from across the country, then links up with the National Police Service, where it engages with investigating officers.
“‘Unresolved’ does not mean ‘abandoned’. These cases remain active unless formally closed upon verified resolution,” said Ms Munyendo.
Of the 158 cases reported, four were found dead. One of them was found dead near their home, with most of their body parts decomposed. Ms Munyendo said this was a suspected case of cannibalism.
“The other cases involved suspected criminal elements, and likely involved children who went missing while playing or running errands,” she added.
The good news was that 85 of the 158 reported cases led to the reunification of children with their families.
“He was traced in Nairobi CBD through community reporting after a poster circulated online. He was temporarily placed under children’s services until mediation occurred. The family underwent structured reconciliation support before reunification,” she said.
In another instance, a non-verbal autistic child wandered from home “and was found at a nearby police station after community members noticed communication difficulty”.
“Coordination with caregivers enabled safe reunification within 24 hours,” Ms Munyendo noted.
“She was traced after a tip from a boda boda rider who had seen a circulated alert. She had gone to stay temporarily with peers due to social pressure,” said Ms Munyendo.
An interesting insight from the reports was that the August holidays accounted for the highest number of missing children reports, registering 28 reports in a single month.
“[It] showed the highest reporting rate in 2025, attributed to child mobility and reduced structured supervision when schools closed,” Ms Munyendo noted.
Holidays also bring up the issue of peer influence, and the CEO explained how that leads to children going missing.
“The lack of school structure increases vulnerability to peer influence and experimentation such as girls joining others to go clubbing, or boys frequently running away due to ‘bad company,’” she said.
“Mid-year economic stressors in households can also be a contributing factor, potentially leading to children running errands more often or being left unsupervised. This can also highlight how the stress leads to family conflicts that escalate into runaways,” she added.
“Agree on daily check-in calls, and encourage open dialogue about peer pressure,” she said.
“Know your child’s friends, their meeting points, and avoid sending young children on long errands alone,” she added.
Regarding children with disabilities, Ms Munyendo urged extra supervision.
“They face compounded risks due to communication barriers and disorientation,” she said.
“The 69 unresolved cases are not statistics. They are children, families, and communities living in prolonged uncertainty, and each report represents a moment when an ordinary day turned into a crisis,” added Ms Munyendo.
“The data tells us something important: child disappearance in Kenya is not random. It is closely linked to school holidays patterns, family conflict, adolescent peer pressure, disability-related vulnerability, and gaps in supervision and coordinated response systems,” she added.
