The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Florence Bore, has announced that privately owned orphanages in the country will be regulated in an effort to combat child trafficking in these institutions.
According to Minister Bore, this move is one of the strategies put in place by the government within the ten-year timeframe that was previously declared for the closure of such facilities.
Speaking in Nakuru County on October 7, 2023, during a visit to the Arap Moi Children’s Home, she suggested that cartels are hindering the government’s efforts to close these facilities.
Bore claimed that these cartels are involved in child trafficking as part of their illicit business, emphasizing that the government will take action against them, including closing privately run institutions.
“It appears to be a business where children are sold for a good price, and we believe the roots are through privately run institutions. To end this trade, we will ensure that all children are in government-run homes. We have the capacity, space, and funding to take care of them,” she said.
The minister revealed that if a child is to be adopted, the government allows only Kenyan citizens to do so, stating that they do not permit foreign nationals to adopt children.
“The government intends to transfer children in privately run homes to government-owned homes. We have given them a ten-year period to do so, and two years have already passed. I have visited Murang’a, Nanyuki, and Isiolo to inspect. As a ministry, it is my responsibility to ensure that these children are well cared for,” she stated.
Bore asserted that the government is determined to implement this plan and strengthen laws to control and reduce cases of child trafficking.
