Nominated Senator Esther Anyieni Okenyuri during at the Bunge Towers Nairobi on May 28, 2024
Senators want the national government to deal with the rising number of homeless people in the country before rushing to close children’s homes.
The government plans to close all privately-owned children homes and orphanages in the country as it explores new methods of care. This is part of child care reforms by the government, through the National Council for Children Service, that seek to introduce family and community based care.
The senators argued that it is incumbent upon the government to address the root causes of homelessness among children and other vulnerable groups in the country, and facilitate social and economic reintegration of the vulnerable groups.
Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri called on President William Ruto’s administration to consider establishing more shelters and safe spaces for homeless children and other vulnerable groups. She said the shelters will provide temporary and transitional housing for the individuals.
“Has the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection developed and implemented, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders, a comprehensive national policy framework for rehabilitation, reintegration and empowerment of homeless children and vulnerable mothers?” asked Ms Okenyuri.
The senator said that the Senate’s Labour and Social Welfare committee should inquire whether a multi-agency approach exists to enhance collaboration between government agencies, civil society and development partners to strengthen interventions aimed at addressing the root causes of homelessness among children and mothers.
The inquiry, she added, should also rope in county government, through their social welfare and child protection departments, to shed more light on whether they have in place rescue and support services, including counselling, education, vocational training and healthcare to street children and vulnerable groups.
“The committee should tell us whether there are adequate budgetary allocations made for the construction, staffing and maintenance of these shelters to ensure sustainability and efficiency in service delivery,” she said.
The national government last week announced a shift from institutional care to integrating abandoned children in local communities and their families, similar to the foster care system in the West.
In a statement, National Council for Children Services Chief Executive Officer Adanoor Mohammed said the move will help them to re-align operations by re-purposing their residential facilities and resources towards supporting the care of children within families and communities.
He said the strategy’s pillars include prevention of separation and family strengthening, alternative care options such as foster care, guardianship and adoption.
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu said the government should not only focus on the solutions but also address the root cause of homeless people if the shift in policy is to succeed. He called on the government to consider setting aside some units from the affordable housing programme to settle homeless people.
“How will we ever see to it that homeless people get homes if we are constructing houses in the name of affordable housing through overtaxing people while selling the same?” Mr Nyutu asked.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka supported the idea of some of the homeless getting some units from the affordable housing programme.
Kisii County Senator Richard Onyonka.
The government last year committed to implementing the global agenda of doing away with children’s homes during the Global Ministerial Conference of 2024 on Children. It committed to strengthen families to provide safe, nurturing care and transition 70 per cent of children in institutional care to family and community based care by 2027.
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