Nakuru: The Directorate of Children Services in Nakuru has initiated a comprehensive program aimed at transitioning more than 2,816 orphaned and vulnerable children from over 81 Charitable Children Institutions (CCIs) into family and community care. This initiative is part of a broader implementation of the 10-year National Care Reform Strategy (2022-2032), which seeks to integrate these children with their families and communities by 2032.
According to Kenya News Agency, County Children's Coordinator Pilot Khaemba highlighted the government's commitment to ensuring that all transitioning children receive the necessary social benefits and privileges. The reform strategy aligns with Kenya's obligations under international conventions, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and aims to prioritize the children's best interests by shifting towards family-based care.
During the launch of the Nakuru County Children Advisory and Care Reform Committee, Khaemba noted that about 50 percent of the children's homes in Nakuru are concentrated in the Gilgil and Naivasha sub-counties. These areas host 20 and 19 CCIs, respectively, followed by Nakuru-East, Rongai, and Molo with 11 and 9 each. The remaining CCIs are distributed across Nakuru West, Nakuru North, Subukia, and Njoro.
Khaemba emphasized the role of the County Children Advisory and Care Reform Committee in developing county-specific implementation plans, mobilizing resources, and advocating for family-based care. He clarified that no CCI is targeted for closure; instead, residential care will transition to family care, with resources redirected to support children within family settings.
The transition, which has been allocated a budget of approximately Sh86,071,000.00, will occur in three phases: learning and decision-making, preparing the CCIs for transition, and implementing the transition. The UK-based Lumos Foundation is providing technical guidance and support to facilitate this process, focusing on prevention of separation, family strengthening, and alternative care options.
Khaemba remarked that by 2030, CCIs will support children within family and community-based care settings. The Ministry envisions a future where CCIs play a crucial role in supporting vulnerable children, emphasizing the importance of training CCI board members to embrace and implement the government's directive on transitioning to child welfare programs.
He pointed out that the care reform strategy is driven by the belief that all children belong to a family, supported by scientific evidence indicating that children in institutional care suffer developmental setbacks. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other global studies, many children in CCIs have biological and extended families capable of caring for them with appropriate support.