A child protection expert has raised concern over the growing number of missing children cases in Kenya, linking the trend to strained family structures, neglect and abandonment, while warning that some of the cases are also tied to trafficking and exploitation networks operating across the country.
Child Therapist and Child Protection Practitioner at Childline Kenya, Muluki Mung’ala, said the rise in cases reflects deeper social and economic pressures affecting parents and caregivers, making it harder for some families to adequately care for children.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Friday, she says the national child helpline 116, run by Childline Kenya, receives daily distress calls involving abuse, violence, counselling needs and reports of abandoned children from across the country.
“At Childline Kenya, we provide an online platform where child protection cases are reported, and we work 24/7 through the National Child Helpline number 116 and respond to child protection cases all over the country,” she stated.
She explained that the helpline, which operates through call centres in Nairobi and Eldoret, categorises reports into abuse and violence, information inquiries, counselling services, and non-intervention cases.
“These are high-priority cases,” she noted, while referring to abuse and violence reports.
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The Child therapist explained that many callers contact the helpline seeking advice on child support, custody disputes, birth registration, and child maintenance.
“The highest number we have is child support, child maintenance. We have custody cases under information inquiry. We also have disputed paternity,” she outlined.
The Child protection practitioner noted that counselling remains at the core of the helpline’s work, with counsellors offering psychological first aid and tele-counselling services to children and families in distress.
According to Mung’ala, Childline Kenya operates as a public-private partnership with the government and works closely with the State Department for Children Services under the Department of Strategic Interventions and Emergency Response.
“We cannot do this work alone, and I’m so grateful that we have a partnership with the State Department of Children’s Services because they support a lot,” she stressed.
The organisation has been in operation for 22 years and coordinates emergency child protection responses through a network of partners across more than 320 sub-counties.
Mung’ala linked the increasing number of missing children cases to economic hardship, weak support systems and parenting challenges.
“These are very harsh economic times, and parents and caregivers are struggling. They’re struggling to maintain the demanding raising needs for children,” she said.
“I would share it as poor parenting, as opposed to saying bad parenting, because not everybody has the skills to be a good mother or parent,” she added.
The child protection practitioner cited government data covering January 2025 to March 2026 showing 10,508 missing children cases.
According to the figures she referenced, abandonment accounted for 6,820 cases, abductions 1,952 cases, lost and found children 1,636 cases and trafficked children 173 cases.
“Missing children also go hand in hand with trafficking because these children are either stolen, abandoned, neglected, or they stray,” she said.
Mung’ala warned that some trafficked children are exploited through forced labour, sexual exploitation and organ trafficking.
“Unfortunately, there is also child sex trafficking. The worst is organ harvesting,” she said.
The debate comes as Kenya continues to face a growing missing children crisis, with government data showing 10,581 child disappearance cases recorded between January 2025 and March 2026, including 6,820 abandonment cases, 1,952 abductions, 1,636 lost-and-found children, and 173 trafficking incidents.
In 2024, more than 8,800 children were reported missing, while 3,866 remained unaccounted for and 4,958 were found but not reunited with guardians.
Authorities say about 23 children disappear daily. The government has intensified tracing programmes, public awareness campaigns and multi-agency rescue operations.
Police recently rescued 22 girls in Mombasa and Kilifi and arrested a suspect linked to child trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Recent child abduction cases have also led to arrests and ongoing investigations as police and child protection agencies pursue trafficking and exploitation networks.
The child therapist also highlighted cases where children are abandoned in public places and later rescued by members of the public who contact the helpline for help.
“We receive so many cases like that, and a Good Samaritan will call and say, ‘Please talk to this child. I’ve just met her on the road,” she said.
Mung’ala noted that awareness campaigns and public reporting have improved in recent years, especially after activities marking International Missing Children’s Day.
She further warned that some children run away from difficult home environments, while others are manipulated into criminal activities.
She urged communities, parents and state agencies to work together to strengthen child protection systems and support vulnerable families.