The government will facilitate promotion of better health, education and social protection of children as part of its commitment to continue advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) that focus on children’s wellbeing.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said it is time Africa and the world reflected on how to cultivate and foster peaceful environment and abet conflicts that lead to humanitarian crises that affect children.
He said governments are obligated to provide enabling environments for children to grow into healthy and productive citizens.
“Children are our hopes and our future. Every parent, community and country must protect their rights, including their right to quality healthcare, education and social well-being,” Mudavadi said.
The Prime CS was speaking when he presided over the official opening of the global operations and financing meeting of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nairobi.
Mudavadi who also doubles up as the Foreign and Diaspora Cabinet Secretary said it’s regrettable that on average, at least 98 million children in Africa are disadvantaged by conflicts and crises in various countries like Sudan where the humanitarian situation has affected many school going children.
He described the situation in Sudan as devastating saying some schools have now become relief centres while some have been closed and taken over by military and warring factions in conflict-prone regions.
"Recently we gathered in Paris to try raise $4 billion (Sh536.5) to try help mitigate the crisis in Sudan. This being a reflection of resources that are collected but instead of being channeled to providing improved healthcare, boost agriculture, support education and development, the finances are channeled towards mitigating crisis and addressing conflicts," Mudavadi said.
He pointed out if such resources were put to proper use in peaceful environments, the lives of many people would have had positive transformation and great impacts moving into the future.
Mudavadi further regretted that conflict zones have greatly affected operations like school feeding programmes, provision of vaccines to children among other crucial programmes targeting children's wellbeing.
"It is unfortunate that good gestures in resource mobilisation for prosperity are now competing with financing conflicts," the Prime CS remarked.
Mudavadi, however, commended the strides Kenya has made in improving the metrics and crucial data information that aids in advancing the formulation of key policy frameworks in the sectors that deal with children welfare in the country.
