The government has announced that a total of 6,841 children were reported missing in Kenya in the last 10 months alone.
According to Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore, a total of 1,296 have been reunited with their families.
The CS, who spoke during International Missing Children Day on Thursday, said the children were reported missing between July 2022 to May 2023.
She said the number of missing children could be higher as the figures include only those who were reported.
“A missing child can be the toughest nightmare that a parent can bear. Whereas we imagine how hard it can be to have a missing child, it is a reality that a total of 6,841 children were reported missing between July 2022 to May 2023 and these are just but the reported cases," she said in a statement.
“This day presents the opportunity to remind ourselves of the many children who are yet to be traced and further enable us to celebrate our children who have been found including the 1,296 children that were reunited with their parents and caregivers."
The CS noted that missing children and their parents and families go through psychological torture.
“The agents of darkness who prey on our children are evolving every day. A number of children have gone missing from their homes, their neighborhoods, in schools or institutions of care,” she said.
International Missing Children Day is observed on May 25 every year.
The theme for this year was ‘Strengthening family and community care to prevent and respond to cases of Missing and Found Children’.
Bore said this year’s theme underscores the role of the family and the community in ensuring the safety and well-being of our children.
Through the Directorate of Children's Services, the Ministry has taken a significant step in developing guidelines to support initiatives to prevent and address missing children cases.
However, the CS said, the urgency of the matter demands expedited action in implementing these guidelines, ensuring they adopt a multi-sectoral approach that leverages the expertise and resources of various stakeholders.
She said one crucial aspect of combating the issue of missing children is the immediate reporting of such cases to the nearest Children's office or Police Station.