As the world commemorates the International Missing Children’s Day, parents have been advised to be making prompt reporting in case their children go missing.
Nyeri County Children Services Officer Joseph Mburu says delay by parents and guardians in informing security officers on such incidents only complicates efforts to trace the minors, sometimes leading to tragic results.
Mburu also advised parents to be making sure their children are in safe hands when leaving home for school as pedophiles and child traffickers strike during such moments.
Families can also use the National Child toll free line 116 to seek help on how they can trace their missing child.
“We have been sending news alerts to parents through the Missing Child Kenya platform to advise them on the need to be vigilant as far as the whereabouts of their children is concerned.
In the event a child goes missing we are advising parents to promptly report the incident to relevant security officers starting from police. Any delay in such a situation only lessens the chances of the child being found,” he told KNA on phone.
Mburu also advised parents and the general public to ensure they follow the SOS tips issued by the Government in partnership with relevant stakeholders such the police and the Nyumba Kumi community policing teams to expedite the process of tracing and recovery of missing children.
He also advised members of the public to involve neighbours and acquaintances in tracing the last available leads, which may help shed light on individuals who may have been seen last with the child.
“Since every child lives in a community, it is always prudent and advisable to inquire from them whether they may have any information regarding the whereabouts of the child. This may include the last person who may have been seen with the child and the place where the minor was last spotted.
On the other hand, parents should provide information regarding the type and colour of the clothes the child was donned in, the type and colour of shoes the child was wearing and a recent photo. Such details should also be sent to the Missing Child Kenya to aid in faster circulation of the information to the public and expedite the process of tracing the victim,” he advised.
The officer also disclosed that the County has so far reported a total of six missing children since last year.
Four of the victims were later found murdered while two have been recovered alive.
Among the two include a seven-year old boy from Mukurwe-ini who went missing on Saturday last week, but was later found in Gatanga in Murang’a County on Sunday.
However, Mburu says it has since been established the child was not kidnapped but had run away from home due to family disagreements.
The second person was a secondary school student of Kenya High from Skuta who had gone missing in April this year while coming home for the holidays. She was found in Thika early this month.
International Missing Children’s Day is celebrated every 25th day of May similar to the United States’ National Missing Children’s Day designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
The day is dedicated to creating awareness about the issue of missing children, highlighting the efforts made to find and bring them back safely, and supporting the families affected by such incidents.
Statistics from Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) shows Kenya has reported over 8,800 children as missing since 2024.
In Africa, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that between 1.2 million and 2 million children go missing annually, often driven by conflict and displacement.
Globally an estimated 8 million are reported as missing globally, which averages to about 22,000 cases on a single day.
While a significant majority of these children are located or reunited with their families quickly, tens of thousands remain permanently missing, leaving them vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.
By Samuel Maina
