By Aoma Keziah,
On this Day of the African Child, World Vision Kenya (WVK) stands in solidarity with children, caregivers, communities, government partners, and child protection advocates across Africa. This year’s theme, “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010,” serves as both a celebration of the milestones achieved and a call to sustained action.
Gilbert Kamanga, National Director, World Vision Kenya, said that as the country moves towards 2030, we should ensure that no child in Kenya is subjected to FGM, child marriage, violence, or neglect, working together to create a world where children not only survive but thrive in safe, nurturing environments.
“True transformation in child protection comes from investing in our children. Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, the budget decisions we make today will shape their future. Let’s prioritize child protection and ensure resources align with our commitments,” he remarked.
Kenya has made progress in legal and policy reforms for children’s rights. However, persistent underinvestment in child protection services continues to expose millions of children to harm, exploitation, and neglect. With over 22 million children (46% of the population) in Kenya, the urgency to build and fund reliable protection systems has never been greater.
While they commend the establishment of the State Department for Children Welfare Services as a critical step towards strengthening institutional child protection, they stressed that the fight for children’s rights doesn’t end with the budget reading. The FY2025/2026 National Budget may be finalized, but child protection must remain at the heart of Kenya’s financial and development priorities throughout the year and into future cycles.
Despite progress in policy and legal reforms, many children in Kenya continue to face serious threats: Over 4.2 million girls are married before the age of 18, depriving them of education, health, and a brighter future, thousands of girls still undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) annually often in secrecy, child abuse, trafficking, neglect, and child labour remain widespread and more than 2 million children lack birth registration, preventing them from accessing basic services like education and healthcare
The organization urge the Government of Kenya, Parliament, and county governments to use mid-year budget reviews and supplementary budgets to address current funding gaps in child protection, prioritize children in county budgets, particularly through the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), institutionalize multi-year funding for core child protection services and ensure efficient, transparent, and child-centered resource allocation.
They also advocate for key budgetary allocations to protect children: Kshs. 4.5 Billion for Community-Based Child Protection Services, Kshs. 2 Billion for National-Level Child Protection Coordination, kshs. 470 Million for the National Council for Children Services (NCCS) and Kshs. 73 Billion for Cash transfers to vulnerable children.
The christian relief organization also partners with the government, communities, and civil society in its commitment to building sustainable child protection systems, including the Big Dream Initiative (Ending Child Marriage & FGM), 82,917 children enrolled in school, ensuring access to education, 2,400+ girls transitioned through safe Alternative Rites of Passage (ARPs), protecting them from harmful practices and 60+ school-based Child Rights Clubs established to empower students to advocate for their rights.
On strengthening Child Protection Systems, they’re training local Child Protection Committees to address child protection issues, establishing robust case management systems for effective responses promoting birth registration to ensure legal identity and access to services integrating child protection across education, health, and WASH programs, prioritizing child safety in all sectors, and mobilizing faith and traditional leaders to challenge harmful social norms.
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