Emerging Trends in Child Safeguarding: The Mukuru Situation

On March 21st, 2024, Ruben Centre’s Advocacy department, headed by Miss Margaret Kariuki, conducted a training involving local administration and opinion leaders on the state of child safeguarding in Mukuru. The objective was to identify emerging trends within the Mukuru community regarding the safety of children. Some of the findings from their training revealed an increased rate of children's disappearance within the area. According to Mrs. Fredinah Sikuku, Child Safeguarding Officer for Embakasi South, cases of child disappearance have increased, with quite a number of parents making reports of lost children to the Department of Children's Desk.

In 2024 alone, she has received over 10 cases of lost children, with about five children reunited with their families, while over five children remain untraced. Vivian Kakuvi, a resident of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, reported the case of her five-year-old daughter, who went missing on February 10th, 2024, while playing outside their home in Moto Moto village in the morning hours. Efforts to retrieve Grace Kavindu, who was attending school at Excellent Vision Centre, have borne no fruit, as the girl is yet to be found. "I reported my daughter’s disappearance to the Children's Department office at Imaara Daima, police stations within Mukuru, and made rounds in the children's homes around Mukuru and its vicinity, but I have not found my daughter to this day. We do not know where else to search, as we have looked everywhere possible. We only hope that we shall find her," says Vivian.

*Ruben Centre staff speaking on Ruben FM*

In the past, cases of children's disappearance were still prevalent, with parents utilizing local radio to announce cases of lost children who were later found and reunited with their families through community policing structures in Mukuru. It is not unusual for children to be taken to the police station by community members when found lost and stranded in the community. "When you take a child to a police station, the police officers often request you to go back with the child and take care of them until their parents are traced, especially when you take the children in the evening hours," says one of the Nyumba Kumi officials. However, there is an alarm over a trend of children without a trace.

*Photo courtesy of Flicker by* ***uwekulick***

According to Fredinah, there is a need for community vigilance, as these recent cases could indicate well-orchestrated child trafficking within the area. In the community forum, the Nyumba Kumi officials, tasked with maintaining peace and security at the ten-house level, raised concerns over an influx in the number of refugees in Mukuru undertaking small and micro-businesses, which coincides with the increased number of child disappearances in the area. Fueling to this trend of child disappearance are recreational activities by business people offering fun activities for children, such as carrying children on a camel from village to village for ten shillings per camel ride. As the camels traverse different villages in Mukuru, most children follow them, raising the risk of child disappearance in Mukuru. The presence of camels for children's entertainment and the subsequent following of these animals by children across villages exemplify the unintended consequences of informal economic activities on child safety.

Additionally, 'Loise' (not her real name), a Nyumba Kumi Official, has experienced firsthand the agony of losing a child. Her six-year-old child disappeared while playing around the neighborhood, only to be found in a different village in less than ten minutes. "I was standing on the along Mosque Road in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, catching up with my friends and completely lost in female chitchat. My daughter was standing and playing around me. Within a blink of an eye, I could not see her. I tried asking around but with no luck. I went back home to check if maybe she was bored and decided to go back home. When I could not find her there, I realized all was not well." The child was later found at Gatoto village, and according to Loise, the daughter could not have walked all the way to Gatoto within such a short time. Upon following up with the child, she realized that someone had carried the five-year-old in a car and had given her a sweet. How and why they dropped the child is not clear to her, but she is grateful that her daughter was reunited with her.

In the forum, community leaders raised concerns over a black car that makes rounds around Mukuru, tinted on all sides, making it impossible for the community to identify the people in the car. Apparently, after the car makes its rounds, a child must be reported missing. "I have spotted the car several times. It comes between 4:30 PM and 5:00 PM, perhaps targeting the high population of children leaving school. The last time I saw it was on a Saturday morning," one of the participants said during the forum, suspecting the presence of the car had a connection to the increased lost child cases in Mukuru.

The story of Vivian Kakuvi was escalated to mainstream media houses in Kenya with the hope of following up on the disappearance of Grace and highlighting the case in an effort to trace the child. The community engagement forum employed interactive sessions, group discussions, and case studies. Participants shared their experiences and learned from each other, where the community shared other emerging trends affecting children. The disposal of industrial waste by Bhachu Industries has inadvertently created a “scavenging economy” as they hunt for scrap metal that benefits youth and women financially but distracts children from their education, affecting their future development. The scavenging culture is leading to increased child labor, with children missing school to sell scrap metal and earn money. Additionally, there are reported cases of continued use of corporal punishment in homes despite enforcement of child protection laws, with parents not adopting alternative disciplinary methods.

Ruben Centre, through its Advocacy department, is looking at conducting awareness sessions regarding the emerging trends in child safeguarding through the use of Ruben FM and social media platforms to encourage vigilance and enhance community policing for the safety of children in Mukuru. Additionally, the Advocacy department seeks to engage with Bhachu Industries to encourage sustainable waste management practices to safeguard children and discourage child labor. Plans to launch a parental vigilance campaign while collaborating with local authorities for capacity-building initiatives to strengthen community-policing efforts through the Nyumba Kumi initiative are in place.

Despite concerted efforts to engage a diverse group of participants, there was a noticeable gender imbalance, with a majority of attendees being women. This disparity underscores the need for targeted strategies to involve men in child safeguarding dialogues and initiatives. Additionally, inclusion of individuals with disabilities remains a challenge, particularly for those with hearing impairments. Although community resources were utilized to provide sign language interpretation, the department will put more effort into adopting a systematic approach to ensure the full participation of all community members in our programs.

Ruben Centre acknowledges and appreciates the Edmund Rice Foundation Australia for their continued support of the Advocacy department, offering 'Education to Empower' to the community of Mukuru.

By: Margaret Kariuki
Edits: GB