The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children Services Hannah Cheptumo has moved to clarify reports circulating about 10,581 children, saying the figure has been misunderstood and does not represent only children who are currently missing. She explained that the number is drawn from a wider child protection database covering multiple case outcomes recorded over more than a year.
In a statement on Tuesday, Cheptumo said the figure comes from the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) and reflects a broad set of child protection cases tracked between January 2025 and March 2026.
“For clarification, the figure of 10,581 widely being shared does not represent only children who are currently missing,” Cheptumo said. “The number refers to the broader Missing and Found Children caseload recorded in the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) between January 2025 and March 2026.”
The ministry said the CPIMS data is not a simple count of missing children, but a case management system that records the full journey of child protection cases, including reporting, rescue, recovery, reunification, and care interventions.
According to the explanation, the system captures several categories, including missing children reports, found and rescued children, reunification cases, abduction cases, trafficking-related cases, abandonment cases, and children placed under care and protection after intervention.
The breakdown of the 10,581 caseload shows that abandonment cases form the largest share at 6,820. Abductions follow at 1,952, while missing children cases stand at 1,636. Trafficking-related cases account for 173 cases.
Officials further noted that CPIMS works as a case lifecycle system, meaning one child can pass through different stages within the same reporting period. A child may be reported missing, later found, placed under protection, and eventually reunited with family, meaning the system records progress over time rather than a single static figure.
“The caseload includes cases of abandonment, lost and found children, abductions and trafficking including children who were found, rescued, reunited or placed under protection and care interventions,” Cheptumo said.
She warned against misinterpretation of the data, saying accurate understanding is important for public discussion and coordination of child protection efforts.
“The Government is fully seized of this matter. We are coordinating a multi-agency approach aimed at strengthening child protection, prevention, tracing, reunification and response systems across the country,” she said.
The ministry emphasized that the CPIMS system is designed to improve tracking and response, and not to present a snapshot of children currently missing at any one time.