MP Njeri Maina calls for urgent national action on rising femicide and child disappearances

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Maina said the increasing number of women killed and children going missing reflects “a national crisis” that requires unified action across government agencies and society, warning that the current response remains fragmented and largely reactive.

She noted that despite Kenya being signatory to key international and regional human rights frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Palermo Protocol, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), implementation remains weak and inconsistent.

“The burden of protecting women and children is a constitutional and human rights obligation under the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and must never be shifted,” she said, emphasizing that safeguarding vulnerable groups is primarily the duty of the State.

Maina raised concern over what she termed systemic failures in handling gender-based violence and missing persons cases, citing delays in investigations, limited forensic capacity, negligence, and victim-blaming attitudes that she said often hinder justice for affected families.

She further criticised the lack of coordination among institutions involved in child protection and gender-based violence response, including the National Police Service, Judiciary, Ministry of Gender, Interior Ministry, county governments, and civil society organizations.

To address these gaps, the legislator proposed a series of reforms, including the establishment of a multi-agency rapid response unit, strengthening forensic and investigative systems, and creating a real-time missing children alert database accessible to police stations nationwide.

She also called for the decentralization of special Gender-Based Violence (GBV) courts, establishment of county-level SGBV rescue centres, increased funding for child protection services, and improved training for frontline officers handling such cases.

In addition, Maina urged the government to adopt gender-responsive budgeting, invest in mental health support services, and scale up public education campaigns to prevent violence and exploitation.

She stressed that police response to gender-based violence and missing persons cases must be “survivor-centered, urgent, and accountable,” adding that transparency in reporting statistics and progress on investigations is critical to rebuilding public trust.

“Protecting women and children is not charity. It is justice, constitutional duty, and a human rights requirement,” she said.

Her remarks come amid growing national concern over rising cases of femicide and child disappearances, with stakeholders increasingly calling for stronger enforcement of existing laws and improved inter-agency coordination.

As the world marked the International Missing Children’s Day, concern continues to grow over the rising number of missing children cases in Kenya, with the government now warning that an average of 23 children disappear every day.

A recent report by the government shows that between January 2025 and March 2026, Kenya recorded 10,581 child protection cases linked to missing and vulnerable children. The figures translate to nearly 6,500 cases annually, highlighting what authorities describe as a growing national crisis.