CSOs Push For Increased Budget Allocation To Child Welfare Services
The Mt Kenya Times 
Civil society organization representatives issuing their address to the media
By: Cynthia Masibo
A coalition of 30 child-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) from across the country has called on the government to significantly increase budgetary allocations towards child welfare services in the 2025/26 national budget.
Speaking during a press briefing, the organizations applauded the establishment of the State Department for Children Welfare Services and commended Kenya’s continued commitment to upholding children’s rights as stipulated in Article 53 of the Constitution, the Children Act 2022, and international instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
However, the CSOs expressed concern over the limited budgetary allocations to child protection services despite the country’s growing population of children, who constitute 46% of the population.
“With just over Ksh 11 billion allocated to the new State Department, this translates to only Ksh 260 per child for all welfare services — an amount too low to effectively rescue, protect, and support our children,” the coalition stated. “Even though children are small, their needs are not, and the cost of inaction is far greater — estimated at over $10.8 billion annually in economic losses and health consequences.”
The CSOs have proposed a Ksh 4.5 billion increase in funding for the Directorate of Children Services. This would finance county-level operations, care reform implementation, prevention and response to violence against children, and the expansion of child participation programs.
Specifically, the proposals include Ksh 1.4 billion to support operations across 47 counties and 336 sub-counties, Ksh 600 million for care reform efforts such as family tracing and reintegration, and another Ksh 600 million for prevention and response initiatives to address the alarming rates of child violence, including sexual and physical abuse.
Additionally, Ksh 500 million is requested to facilitate child participation forums, while Ksh 400 million would support positive parenting programs. A further Ksh 1.29 billion would go toward increasing the number of children officers at the sub-county level, addressing a 40% vacancy rate in existing posts.
Non-financial recommendations were also issued, including the call to clearly distinguish between Social Development Programmes and Children Welfare Services within the new State Department. The CSOs also urged the formation of new departments focused on Child Participation and Ending Violence Against Children.
They criticized the current budget indicators as misaligned with the State Department’s new mandate and pushed for the revision of performance indicators to reflect the goals of the National Care Reform Strategy (2022–2032).
Of particular concern was the unutilized Victim Support Fund, currently standing at Ksh 32 million. The CSOs recommended its reallocation to the Directorate of Children Services to support victims of abuse.
Lastly, the coalition urged the operationalization of the Child Welfare Fund, as provided in Section 12(7) of the Children Act 2022, recommending an annual allocation of Ksh 1 billion up to 2030 to strengthen case management and community-level interventions.
With 26 million Kenyans under the age of 18, the CSOs emphasized the importance of making budget documents more child-friendly and inclusive. They called on the Treasury and National Assembly to facilitate children’s participation in budgeting and planning processes to ensure their voices are heard and their rights are upheld.
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