Faith Odhiambo calls for urgent action as child protection cases rise

Former LSK President Faith Odhiambo has called for urgent action over what she describes as a worsening child protection crisis in Kenya.

She cited official data showing more than 10,000 cases recorded between January 2025 and March 2026, including abductions and trafficking incidents.

Odhiambo warned that the growing number of disappearances and violence against children now represents a national emergency that requires urgent investigations and stronger prosecutions.

In a statement posted on social media on Monday, she highlighted that the situation calls for immediate and coordinated action from law enforcement agencies, government institutions, and the public.

“Our children are being stolen,” she said, stressing the severity of the crisis.

Odhiambo highlighted several recent incidents that have sparked public concern and community protests in different parts of the country.

She referenced a case in Githurai involving the kidnapping of a 2-year-old child allegedly taken by a teenager who had been sent to steal a child in exchange for a mobile phone.

“Last week in Githurai, a 2-year-old was kidnapped by a teenager sent to steal a child for a phone,” she stressed.

She also cited unrest in Juja, where residents reportedly blocked the Thika Superhighway following the disappearance of four children within a two-week period.

“In Juja, residents shut down the Thika Superhighway after 4 children vanished in two weeks,” she said.

According to Odhiambo, similar incidents have been recorded in Central Kenya, where she noted 372 cases of violence against children within a year.

“In Central Kenya, 372 violence-against-children incidents in under a year,” she said.

She described the pattern of cases as a national emergency requiring immediate attention from security agencies and the justice system.

The former LSK President's remarks come amid Kenya continuing to face a serious child protection challenge, with official surveys and UN data showing that nearly half of children experience some form of violence in childhood, while trafficking and disappearance cases remain difficult to fully quantify due to underreporting and fragmented records.

A 2019 national Violence Against Children Survey found that about 46% of young women and 52% of young men aged 18–24 experienced violence in childhood.

UNICEF and partners also report ongoing risks of sexual exploitation, trafficking, and forced labour, with children making up a significant share of victims globally and in Kenya.

Studies show thousands of abuse cases annually, alongside rising missing-child reports in urban areas.

The government has strengthened child protection laws and specialised police units, but experts call for improved investigations, faster prosecutions, and better data systems to address growing disappearances and exploitation effectively.

The former LSK Chair urged law enforcement authorities, including the DCI and the ODPP, to strengthen investigations and ensure full prosecutions in child-related crimes.

“The Penal Code provides for life imprisonment for kidnappers. I want to see DCI and DPP match that seriousness with urgent investigations and full prosecutions, not just press releases,” she stated.

She also called on members of the public to remain vigilant and actively participate in protecting children in their communities.

“To every Kenyan, watch the children around you. Speak up and report because if we do not protect our children, we have failed at the most fundamental duty of a society,” she noted.

Odhiambo emphasised that children represent the future of the country and should not be reduced to statistics or ignored amid rising insecurity concerns.

Her statement has added to the growing public debate over child safety in Kenya, where recent reports of abductions, trafficking, and violence have sparked concern among civil society groups and legal professionals, calling for stronger enforcement of existing child protection laws.

Authorities have not yet issued a formal response to the specific figures cited, but government agencies have previously pledged to strengthen child protection systems, improve reporting mechanisms, and enhance coordination between security and social services departments.

As concerns mount, attention is increasingly focused on the effectiveness of investigations and the speed at which cases are prosecuted, amid calls for more robust national safeguards for children across the country.