Parliament has directed the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to provide a status report on the increasing number of missing children in the country.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang’ula, instructed the Committee on Security and Administration to liaise with the Ministry and report to the House within two weeks.
This follows a request for a statement from Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Donya regarding the recent increase in child abductions.
“The situation poses a serious security threat to children contrary to Article 53 of the constitution,” she said.
Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Donya Aburi.
Photo credit: File I Nation Media Group
Article 53 of the constitution provides that every child has the right to protection from abuse, neglect, harmful culture, cultural practices, violence, inhuman treatment and exploitation.
“The rising cases pose serious questions over existing child protection mechanisms, coordination among security agencies and the speed of response in tracing missing children and apprehending the perpetrators,” Ms Donya said.
The ministry is expected to provide to the House, the number of reported cases of missing children in the country over the last one year including the number of children traced and re-united by their families.
It will also outline measures it is undertaking to curb cases of child abduction, trafficking and disappearances
Furthermore, the Ministry is expected to inform the House as to whether a national platform for missing children and a policy to strengthen the protection and safety of children in the country is in place.
Reports from government and witness protection agencies indicate that many children have disappeared under unclear circumstances with some cases linked to child trafficking, abduction, exploitation, neglect and other criminal activities.
Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Minority Whip Millie Odhiambo said cases of missing children is a growing concern in the country that calls for urgent government attention.
“The number of children disappearing is alarming. We might be speculating that it's child trafficking but it could be for other purposes because those numbers are crazy. The matter should be treated with serious concern,” she said.
The Suba North lawmaker said the trend is worrying as criminals are now using children to abduct younger children. “It’s worrisome that in some cases they are using children to abduct children, there is a case of a 15-year-old who was promised a phone to abduct another child. We need to find a mechanism of warning our children from falling victim to crime.”
Mombasa woman representative Zamzam Mohamed said that in Mombasa, at least 12 children have been reported missing and their whereabouts are still not known. “I hope that the security committee will give this House answers,” she said.
On Monday, as the entire government machinery was in Wajir for the Madaraka Day celebrations, a number of protesters took to the streets over the rising cases of femicide and infanticide.
The majority of the protesters were dressed in white, red and black and carried placards bearing anti-femicide and anti-infanticide messages. In Nairobi, they walked from Jevanjee Gardens to the intersection of Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue, where they sat in the road to protest against the increasing number of killings of children and women, and the government's inaction.
The protests were driven by growing frustration over the ‘government’s inaction’ as violence against children escalates.
The protesters called on leaders to prioritise the safety of women and children, saying that every life lost to femicide or infanticide represents the failure of the society and the justice system.
Usikmye, an organisation fighting for the eradication of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and femicide, has documented at least 67 cases of femicide since January.
