The National Government will collaborate with like-minded partners to establish child rescue centres across all wards in Kakamega County.
Kakamega County Coordinator of Children Services Geoffrey Musoko asked the government to address the challenge of homeless children.
He said registered foster parents will be offered a stipend through the Child Welfare Fund to support the raising of homeless children as the government encourages an Alternative family-based care model instead of taking children to Charitable Children’s Institutions (CCIs).
“This new initiative aims at responsive caregiving and nurturing by trained foster families. Reportedly, children raised in orphanages do not get proper nurturing in their early stages of development,” he noted.
He was speaking during a two-day consultative meeting bringing together stakeholders in the children’s sector at Kakamega Golf Hotel.
He hailed the multi-sectoral approach to childhood development by tackling healthcare, immunization and responsive caregiving through advocacy and public policies in the sector.
He said the National Government is committed to partnering with all registered organisations to achieve the set objectives of ensuring children are protected.
To support the National Government’s commitment, the Kakamega County government has Committed Sh. 5 million in partnership with World Vision to establish a Child Rescue centre at Lugari.
World Vision also established a Child Protection Unit at Matete Sub County and handed it over to the National Police Service to be used in rescuing children from the region.
According to World Vision, it is a requirement that Child Protection Units be established in every police station in Kenya in line with Kenya’s Child Protection Policy.
While committing to support children’s matters, the Kakamega County Government Launched a children’s Policy to address Child survival, Child Protection, child development, and their Participation in nation-building.
In May this year, Kakamega County launched a Sh. 7.9 million Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Centre in Shinyalu Sub-County that will be used as a rescue facility for SGBV Survivors.
By Kenton Ochieng
