Marsabit: Marsabit county Tuesday played host to the national launch of the Day of the African Child 2027 celebrations, attracting participants from a cross section of stakeholders. The ceremony brought together government officials, development partners, civil society organizations, community leaders, and hundreds of children with special reflection on the challenges facing children across Kenya and Africa, including access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
According to Kenya News Agency, the event at Sangante Kargi Maikona SKM Primary School served as a platform for stakeholders to renew their commitment to protecting children’s rights and improving their welfare. Speakers emphasized the need to address water scarcity, child protection concerns, harmful practices, educational barriers, and climate-related challenges affecting children, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.
The event was officially launched by Joseph Wanje of the National Council for Children Services (NCCS), representing the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children’s Services, Hannah Wendot Cheptumo. Wanje highlighted the significance of the Day of the African Child in mobilizing stakeholders to seek solutions for children’s issues and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding children’s rights.
In her speech, the CS noted that the Day of the African Child commemorates the children who lost their lives during the Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976. Cheptumo emphasized this year’s theme, ‘Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa,’ as a call to address gaps in promoting children’s rights.
According to the ministry, inadequate access to water, sanitation, and hygiene contributes to preventable child deaths, malnutrition, waterborne diseases, poor educational outcomes, and child labor, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. The ministry also observed that inadequate WASH services disproportionately affect rural children, those in informal settlements, and children with disabilities, especially girls during menstruation.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening climate-resilient water, sanitation, and hygiene services, pledging continued investment in water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene awareness campaigns. Partnerships with county governments, development partners, and humanitarian organizations were highlighted as crucial to improving access in vulnerable regions.
Marsabit Deputy Governor Solomon Gubo Riwe welcomed the forum, acknowledging ongoing challenges related to water scarcity. He noted that water shortages affect children’s health, education, and wellbeing, and highlighted harmful cultural practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and teenage pregnancies, as significant issues.
Marsabit County Commissioner Stanley Kamande described FGM as a pressing child protection concern, noting its prevalence and its link to child marriage. He called for community participation in eliminating the practice and raised concerns over school dropout rates among boys.
The Secretary for Children’s Services Shem Nyakutu urged communities to protect children from abuse and encouraged the use of the child helpline for reporting cases. UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Zainab Ahmed emphasized the link between WASH and child protection, health, and education outcomes, calling for strengthened collaboration among stakeholders.
Marsabit Senior Principal Magistrate Christine Wekesa highlighted the judiciary’s role in protecting children’s rights and encouraged families to utilize mediation services to access justice.
