• Association says the government should allocate money to help improve services.
• Children's Council wants to help but the money allocated is inadequate.
Image: FILE
The civil society has asked the government to ensure that money allocated to orphans and vulnerable children reaches children’s homes.
The government is expected to disburse additional Sh8.4 billion for orphans and vulnerable children this financial year. A total of Sh16.5 billion was allocated in the past two financial years.
The Rev Stephen Ndung'u, the chairperson of the Association of Charitable Children Institutions in Kenya, yesterday said the homes have the capacity but lacked resources.
“As far as funds are concerned, we all have challenges because government allocation is never enough. That's why the council is not able to extend much to children’s homes,” Ndung'u said.
“Societies such as Child Welfare Society have the resources but lack the capacity.”
National Council of Children Services chairperson Joyce Ngugi told the Star that the money allocated to them by the government is not enough.
“We would wish to help as many, only that the funds are limited and we keep asking the government to add us more,” Ngugi said.
The council allocates some funds to children's homes in critical need.
DUMPSITES
The charity said children’s homes are used as dumpsites by courts and children officers who do not conduct any follow-ups on the welfare of the children.
“Some of them have special needs, some need counselling to deal with traumatic experiences and no follow-ups are conducted to see if the homes have the resources to fully cater for specific needs of the children,” Alice Karia, executive director of the association, said.
The director faulted the government for the lack of accurate and up to date data on the number of vulnerable children and orphans in the country.
“The data currently being used is stale and incorrect and has created room for un-accountability by institutions mandated to cater to the welfare of these children,” she said.
She said data on children is scattered in different institutions such as the children’s departments and children’s courts but there is no central point.
“How do you prove child trafficking is happening without data to track those children?” Ndung'u asked and cited emerging issues such as technology as a major challenge to collecting data on vulnerable children.
“The vulnerability of children is increasing day by day with different things. There could be some that we have not researched on but we should.”
In an exclusive interview with the Star last week, Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani said the ministry and other departments are working on deinstitutionalisation of children’s homes.
He said the strategy is based on the philosophy that every child needs the warmth and guidance of parents, or mother and father figure, to meet their emotional needs.
The closure is part of social protection reforms but rescue centres will remain open to care for children in emergencies.