Elijah Bonyo, head of Policy and Advocacy Department at World Vision Kenya
By Brenda Asugu
Child rights organizations are sounding the alarm over what they describe as glaring omissions in the proposed 2025/2026 National Budget, warning that millions of Kenyan children could be left behind if urgent reforms are not implemented.
In a press briefing held at a Nairobi hotel, a coalition of leading child-focused NGOs raised deep concerns over budgetary allocations that, they say, threaten to derail progress in child protection, education, and participation.
“Kenya’s 2025/2026 budget, long expected to facilitate inclusive quality education, has instead become an inhibitor to access for millions of children and youth,” the organizations said in a joint statement. They warned of increased school dropouts and deteriorating educational outcomes if the budget fails to prioritize the needs of learners.
The coalition spotlighted the severe underfunding of the National Council for Children’s Services (NCCS), which has only KSh 81 million allocated far short of what is required to fulfill its 24 statutory mandates under the Children Act.
They called for an additional KSh 70 million to strengthen the council’s county presence, and a further KSh 4.5 billion for the Directorate of Children’s Services to boost field operations, care reforms, and violence prevention programs.
Sobering statistics presented during the briefing underscored the urgency: 46.7% of children in Kenya experience violence before turning 18, including 23% of girls and 6.4% of boys who face sexual abuse.
To respond to this crisis, the coalition is urging the government to allocate KSh 600 million for violence prevention and response, KSh 500 million for child participation initiatives, and KSh 400 million for positive parenting programs.
In a move to amplify children’s voices, Mtoto News presented feedback directly from children across the country. Their priorities included access to nutritious food, clean water, mental health services, improved school infrastructure, and support for talent development.
The children also asked for simplified budget documents and greater inclusion in national decision-making.
“Children are not asking for charity; they are demanding their rights,” said one representative, referencing Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Kenya’s own Children Act of 2022, which affirm the right of children to be heard in matters affecting them.
As Parliament prepares to deliberate on the national budget, child rights advocates are urging lawmakers and the executive to adopt a child-sensitive approach. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children,” they concluded, echoing the words of Nelson Mandela.
With the budget vote looming, the country faces a critical moment to either affirm its commitment to children or risk failing an entire generation.
