Skip to main content

Kenyan Child Welfare Advocates Push for Increased Funding and Operationalization of Key Funds in 2025/26 Budget.

   
      Mtoto news leaders during media briefing in Nairobi, Kenya.

A coalition of 30 child-focused organizations in Kenya is calling on the government to address critical gaps in funding for child welfare services, highlighting alarming rates of violence against children and systemic underfunding. Representing a unified voice from across the country, the group has raised concerns over the stagnation of key funds and insufficient budget allocations, which they argue undermine efforts to protect children and uphold their constitutional rights.  

Among the most pressing issues is the non-operationalization of the Victim Support Fund, which currently holds Ksh 32 million but remains unused despite shocking statistics showing that one in three Kenyan children experience violence. Advocates are urging the government to reallocate these funds to the Directorate of Children Services to provide direct support to child victims. Additionally, the coalition is pushing for the immediate operationalization of the Child Welfare Fund, as mandated under Section 12(7) of the Children Act 2022. They propose an annual allocation of Ksh 1 billion, with a target of Ksh 5 billion by 2030, to strengthen community-based child protection efforts through licensed and monitored organizations.  

The State Department for Child Welfare Services has been allocated Ksh 11 billion in the 2025/26 budget, translating to just Ksh 260 per child, a figure advocates describe as grossly inadequate to cover essential services such as rescue operations, case management, and child participation programs. The coalition is demanding an additional Ksh 4.5 billion for the Directorate of Children Services to address these gaps. They also emphasize the need for increased funding for the National Council for Children Services, whose current budget of Ksh 81 million falls short of fulfilling its 24 statutory mandates. An extra Ksh 70 million, they argue, would enable the council to expand its presence from five to all 47 counties and develop crucial legal frameworks, including child participation guidelines.  

Beyond financial allocations, the coalition is advocating for systemic changes to ensure children’s voices are included in governance. With 26 million Kenyans under the age of 18, children constitute the majority of the population, yet budget processes remain adult-centric, with documents that are complex and inaccessible. The group is calling for child-friendly budget formats and dedicated funding to facilitate children’s participation in planning and decision-making.  

The coalition warns that failure to act on these recommendations will perpetuate the neglect of children’s rights, with long-term consequences for Kenya’s social and economic well-being. As the government finalizes the 2025/26 budget, advocates are urging the National Treasury and the National Assembly to prioritize child welfare, emphasizing that investing in children today is an investment in the nation’s future.

Comments

Post a Comment

good

Popular posts from this blog

Records Digitization Failures Risk Digital Kenya; Urges ICT-Records Unity.

Ms. Mary Kerema, OGW, Secretary ICT e-government and Digital Economy. Nairobi, Kenya - July 16, 2025.   Ms. Mary Kerema, OGW, delivering remarks on behalf of Eng. John Tanui, MBS, the Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy , issued a blunt assessment today, government efforts to digitize critical records are failing, risking the paralysis of Kenya's broader digital transformation agenda. Speaking to ICT Directors and various stakeholders at a breakfast meeting hosted by the Kenya Association of Records Managers and Archivists (KARMA) at the Serena Hotel, Kerema conveyed the PS's deep concern over the " significantly low" progress made since the Ministry directed State Corporations to adopt paperless systems in March 2023. She emphasized that the core problem identified by the PS is not funding, but a critical deficit in expertise, infrastructure, and a widespread underestimation of the domain's complexity, a complexity interwoven with leg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wisdom, Not War, WADR Chair Calls for National Shift in Conflict Resolution.

    Women in Alternative Dispute Resolution (WADR Kenya), led by Chairperson Eunice Lumallas(middle). NAIROBI, Kenya  July 16, 2025.  Amidst escalating tensions across Kenya's political, social, and economic sectors, Women in Alternative Dispute Resolution (WADR Kenya), led by its Chair Eunice Lumallas,  has issued a powerful call for nationwide adoption of peaceful conflict resolution mechanisms. Lumallas, emphasizing Kenya stands at a "critical juncture," warned that unchecked disputes threaten to erode hard-won gains in governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the rule of law, jeopardizing national unity, business confidence, investment, and the hope of Kenyans. Representing diverse stakeholders, WADR Kenya passionately argued that choosing hostility leads to collective loss, while reasoned dialogue allows everyone to rise and gain. Chair Lumallas urged all Kenyans to prioritize empathy and actively embrace dialogue, mediation, conciliation,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kenyan Religious Leaders Issue Urgent Plea to "Stop Destroying Our Country" Amid Escalating Crisis.

    NAIROBI, Kenya, July 9, 2025.  In a powerful intervention, Kenya’s Inter-Religious Council (IRCK) has demanded an immediate end to state-sponsored violence and political exploitation tearing the nation apart. Following a three-day emergency retreat in Nairobi, Christian, Muslim, and Hindu leaders issued a stark warning that the country is in a "very sad and dangerous state," blaming dominant political elites for fueling unprecedented tensions through their fight to " acquire, protect and consolidate power."   The council condemned the government’s handling of protests against the 2024 Finance Bill, accusing the state of degenerating legitimate discontent into " murderous chaos" marked by extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, abductions, and destruction of public property. It called on President William Ruto’s administration to prosecute senior officials linked to violence and financial scandals, insisting this is essential to resto...
Post a Comment
Read more