Child Trafficking in Kenya

In 2010 the counter trafficking act of Kenya was passed and enacted in 2012 yet as demonstrated by reports like the 2024 Trafficking in Person report, exposes done by media stations like BBC Africa, The Elephant, government records and reports from counter trafficking agencies, human trafficking is still prevalent in Kenya. The most vulnerable in the community, children have become a bargaining commodity exploited by traffickers and pedophiles. Children are stolen from their mothers in the streets and even from big hospitals and sold to the highest bidder in illegal adoption processes.

 In 2021 there were about 147,000 cases reported of some form of child abuse as shown by Statista. Early this year, the government of Kenya reported that about 7000 children were reported missing which is worrying because the National Council on children’s services in Kenya estimated that about 17,500 individuals are trafficked annually and 50% of these individuals are likely to be minors. 40% of internally trafficked victims are children as reported by the national crime resource center. Kenya does not yet keep disaggregated data to clearly show the children trafficked.

Reports further show that Commercial surrogacy is on the rise in Kenya especially following banning of commercial surrogacy in other previously popular destinations like Cambodia and Thailand. Commissioning parents are able to contract surrogate mothers for as low as $5700 as reported by an expose, “Hard Labour: The Surrogacy Industry in Kenya”, by The Elephant. Kenya still does not have any laws regulating surrogacy which has led to creating an environment that is conducive to trafficking.

There have also been reports of children trafficked to be used as sacrifices like the cases of albino children whom some people believe that sacrificing them would make one rich, others trafficked to coastal cities where they are abused in sex tourism, or disabled children trafficked into Kenya from neighboring countries and forced to work as street beggars and kept in inhumane conditions.

Unfortunately, due to economic hardship and high rate of unemployment in Kenya some mothers have be forced to abandon their children in the streets. Teenage pregnancies and fear of social stigma are some of the reasons that some young mothers choose to either abandon their children or sell their own children to traffickers.

7.8 m Kenyans are said to be living in extreme poverty as per reports by Statista. You all have probably seen the many protests in Kenya as a result of economic hardships and high rate of unemployment thus contributing to children becoming a lucrative commodity for traffickers and pedophiles.

The Kenyan constitution calls for the protection of all children in Kenya against abuse, neglect, all forms of violence and from harmful cultural practices like early child marriages, yet, girls not brides reported that 12.5% of Kenyan girls enter marital union before the age of 18 mainly due to certain acceptable traditional practices. Some don’t understand or see this as a form of child trafficking because it has been normalized, including by government officials who are meant to be protecting these children.

Societal norms and perceptions are factors that have enabled child trafficking to continue to thrive in Kenya where children are forced to work as domestic workers sometimes in inhumane conditions, but society see it as benefiting the child due to the economic hardships or where children have no caregivers.

Some charity organizations that are meant to be helping protect children are key players of trafficking like some children homes and orphanages acting as trafficking bureaus managed by both locals and foreigners.

The judicial system has also failed to assure people that justice would be served if they report trafficking cases. Many human trafficking perpetrators who have been arrested have been exonerated for lack of evidence, but I personally believe it was a result of corruption and bribery among other issues. Those that have been convicted have been given the option to instead pay a fine which further cause many to lack faith in the system that is meant to be protective.

The government of Kenya has also announced the plan to phase out children homes in an effort to curb trafficking, which could be a solution on one hand but on the other hand, some of these children were either abandoned by their families, rescued from abuse including cases of incest and placed in this home or rescued from traffickers like the case of Bishop Deya and the alleged miracle babies who were placed in children homes after their rescue. What will happen to such children if these homes are closed?

There is a need for Kenyans as a people to understand how we view child trafficking, understand how the different factors enabling child trafficking are interconnected, and interrelated as well as appreciate how certain cultural practices, norms and perceptions are enabling child trafficking to continue to thrive in Kenya.

Different stakeholders need to work together and apply intersectional approach to address child trafficking in Kenya. After all, we as Africans believe that it takes a village to raise a child, so the village needs to be proactive in child protection. No child should be subjected to any form of servitude, any form of violence or abuse. We need to create a world where children can grow in a healthy, peaceful and safe environment.