Police in Murang’a have been educated on their role in the National Care Reform Strategy for Children as stipulated in the Children Act, 2022, as part of a multisectoral approach to the implementation of the Act.
Addressing police officers at a Murang’a hotel, the county children’s officer, Peter Nzeva said that there is need for continuous engagement of stakeholders on the changes made to the children’s act so as to ensure its proper implementation.
The children’s officer divulged that the act was set to be implemented within 10 years, starting in 2022 and ending in 2032, and it is therefore important for the Directorate of Children Services (DCS) to engage the police since they are key stakeholders.
“We need everyone to be on board as we implement these care reforms stipulated in the act, and therefore all stakeholders need to understand their roles,” Nzeva reiterated.
The Children Act, 2022, is an act of Parliament that makes provision for child rights, parental responsibility, alternative care of children, including guardianship, foster care placement, and adoption.
It also makes provision for the care and protection of children and children in conflict with the law, the regulation of the administration of child services, and the establishment of the National Council for Children’s Services.
Nzeva noted that it is important for police officers to follow the right procedures whenever they deal with matters involving children, whether those children are in conflict with the law or they need care and protection.
“Among children in need of care and protection, we have orphans, abandoned children, children facing the risk of being radicalised, children from dysfunctional families, and children who are witnesses or victims of a crime,” he clarified.
Nzeva informed the officers on other sections of the act, including the right of privacy of child offenders, which prohibits the release of information in relation to child offenders, and the increment of the age of criminal liability from 8 to 12 years.
The officer explained that the care reforms were necessitated by, among other reasons, research that showed separating children from their families seriously harms their health and development.
Timothy Oyoo of the Stahili Foundation, one of the partners in child welfare, also informed the police officers on their roles and mandates in the implementation of the National Care Reforms Strategy for children.
He explained that according to the Children Act 2022, a police officer is an authorised officer and is given relative power to intervene in child issues in their best interests, and that the police officer designated to handle children cases needs to collaborate with the DCS to ensure the safety of the children in the Child Protection Unit (CPU) within the stations.
He added that a police representative is mandated to form part of the children’s advisory committee at the devolved levels and participate in gatekeeping on children’s issues, and that each police station will establish a child protection unit and assign an officer to it, and its operation will be guided by the set regulations.
Oyoo said that the officers will be required to physically escort children that are in conflict with the law to court and back to remand homes as needed.
“Within 24 hours of committal, police officers should escort children who have been committed to rehabilitation schools,” he said,
“Also, the officers should notify the children’s officer and guardian within 24 hours after the rescue or arrest of an alleged child offender,” he added.
Oyoo further divulged that the inspector general is directed to constitute a special police unit with the duties to deal with children’s matters, prevent and control child offenses, apprehend child offenders and investigate child offenses.
He informed the officers that other related general roles of police include supporting caseworkers in ensuring their security during rescue operations.
They should also ensure the apprehension of perpetrators of child abuse and carry out conclusive investigations in such cases, as well as support other gatekeepers in maintaining law and order that leads to upholding the rights of children.
He noted that it is important for police officers to continuously familiarise themselves with the Children’s Act 2022 and actively play their designated role in the implementation of the care reforms.
By Purity Mugo
