The government is working out plans to establish its own public child rescue centres away from the existing privately owned ones.
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore has noted that having state-owned public rescue centres will impede child trafficking in the country.
The CS observed that poor management and lack of proper monitoring of private rescue centres can be used by unscrupulous people to perpetuate child trafficking, saying the government is keen to avert such criminal activities.
Ms. Bore stated the government, in partnership with well-wishers, will work out to have government-managed rescue centres where children affected can be held for a while before being integrated with families and the community.
The CS who visited Murang’a Rescue Centre, which is owned by the Child Welfare Society of Kenya, underscored the need to protect the rights of every child.
She said members of the public have a responsibility to bring out cases of neglected or abandoned children in their areas.
“At rescue centres, children neglected or abandoned are held and taken care of before they are integrated back into their families or members of the community. My appeal is that members of the public should report to relevant authorities cases of abandoned or neglected children so they can be assisted,” she added.
Children held at rescue centres, the CS observed, are not supposed to stay for long, saying the centres are meant to hold them for a while before a solution is attained.
“The aim of the government is to integrate all the children with families and members of society so that they can grow up in a family setup and nurture them to be responsible members of society,” she noted, explaining that people can adopt children without families from the centres.
Bore added, “At the rescue centres, the children are provided with basic needs, and people of good will have been supporting and educating those who have attained the age of going to school. Currently, more than 400 children held at rescue centres are in secondary schools.”
The CS lauded members of the public who have been supporting children held at rescue centres, especially through paying off their school fees.
“I appeal to more well-wishers to support these children, as the government is also working to ensure they are properly unified back into society,” he remarked.
Irene Mureithi, Director of Murang’a Rescue Centre, noted that the facility in the recent past has been congested, appealing for more resources to expand the institution.
“The centre currently has a population of 132 children against a capacity of about 110 children, with 82 of them in various schools and 50 aged between three and 10 years.
“Here we get neglected children not only from Murang’a but also from neighbouring counties. Our target is to ensure the children are well taken care of, as the majority of them are brought here while traumatised,” she explained.
Mureithi said they are working in collaboration with the government to integrate the children back into society, saying the centre is just a temporary place to hold children for emergency cases.
By Bernard Munyao
