Student movement pushes child justice reforms across Kenya

Belinda Mwende, National Chairperson of Wakili Wa Watoto, says the student-led child justice movement is expanding its reach across Kenyan universities while deepening engagement with children in schools, institutions and vulnerable communities.

Speaking on Radio Generation on Friday, Mwende said the initiative now operates in 11 universities, where law students support child rights awareness and contribute to wider discussions on access to justice.

She said the programme grew out of reforms under the National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ), which she linked to efforts to strengthen coordination in justice delivery.

“The National Council on Administration of Justice was established under Section 34 of the Judicial Service Act,” she highlighed, adding that it brings together state and non-state actors to ensure “a coordinated, efficient and effective approach when it comes to the administration of justice.”

Mwende noted that a 2019 task force on children matters, formed under the Chief Justice, later evolved into the Standing Committee on the Administration of and Access to Justice for Children in Kenya, driving reforms such as the Children’s Act 2022 and child-friendly legal materials.

She said Wakili Wa Watoto was launched during the 2021 Child Justice Summit at Strathmore University to push early engagement of law students in child justice work.

“Most lawyers will always gravitate towards the paying fields, the commercial, the corporates and all that,” Mwende noted. “Very few lawyers or advocates want to take up children matters.”

Mwende said the movement began in six universities but has expanded to 11, including the University of Nairobi, Strathmore University, Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University, Kabarak University and JKUAT.

She said a national coordination structure has been introduced to link the chapters more effectively.

“We felt the need for a coordinated mechanism where we have one person who’s coordinating all these chapters,” Mwende highlighted.

The students conduct outreach in schools and children’s institutions, educating learners on rights and identifying violations.

“You’d be surprised the things that come out of our interactions with children,” she said, noting that sessions also address mental health and peer pressure.

The initiative also works with children in conflict with the law, focusing on reintegration and reducing stigma.

“We don’t use that term anymore,” Mwende said while referring to the term “juvenile delinquent”. “We call them children who are in conflict with the law.”

She added that the programme has widened its focus to include children with disabilities and those living with cancer, working with groups such as the Kenya Society for Deaf Children and Faraja Cancer Support Trust.

“There’s the issue that our National Cancer Control Act only visualises an adult living with cancer and not a child living with cancer,” she stated.

Mwende said findings from these engagements informed discussions with the judiciary, leading to a subcommittee on vulnerable children.

She also highlighted the Wakili Wa Watoto Moot Competition, where law students argue child justice issues before judges and legal experts.

“We had three High Court judges coming to moot the competition,” she said.

The group also marked the Day of the African Child by providing meals to more than 700 children in Soweto.

“That was the first and last meal of the day for some of these children,” Mwende noted.

She said the movement continues to engage in policy processes on child rights and justice reforms.

“We say that nothing for children without children.”

Mwende said the focus now is expansion to more universities and stronger advocacy to ensure children’s voices shape laws and policies.