The Government is seeking public views from various stakeholders; it seeks to establish Child Welfare Fund aimed at improving child protection services in the country.
In Kakamega, stakeholders raised concern over issues of accountability, equitable resource allocation and implementation during a public forum on the proposed Child Welfare Fund Regulation 2026.
Regional Coordinator for Children Services, Western Region, Duncan Ng’eno, underscored the importance of the fund but cautioned against possible inequities in resource distribution if clear allocation criteria are not established.
Ng’eno noted that vulnerability levels vary significantly across counties and warned that a uniform allocation model could disadvantage high-need areas.
“We must have a clear, data-driven formula for resource allocation. Without this, regions with the highest number of vulnerable children risk being underfunded,” he said.
Joyce Wamboko, an officer from the Department of Children Services in Kakamega, raised concerns over weak monitoring and accountability structures at the county level, stating that the success of the fund will largely depend on strong oversight mechanisms.
Wamboko emphasised that past social protection programmes have faced challenges due to gaps in tracking and reporting.
“If we do not strengthen accountability systems at the grassroots, the fund may not reach the intended beneficiaries. Monitoring and evaluation frameworks must be clearly defined in the regulations,” she said.
Lairuka Sindani, Assistant County Commissioner, whose County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha highlighted coordination gaps between national and county governments, warning that overlapping mandates could hinder effective implementation.
The official called for a clearly defined intergovernmental framework to streamline roles and avoid duplication of efforts.
During her technical presentation, Loyce Anzigale from the State Department for Children Services explained that the proposed regulations are designed to operationalise provisions of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the Children Act, 2022, and the Public Finance Management Act.
Anzigale clarified that while the Children Act provides the legal framework, the regulations outline practical implementation procedures, including management, disbursement, and utilisation of the fund.
“The Act provides the foundation, but these regulations define how the fund will function in practice, who benefits, how funds are accessed, and how accountability is ensured,” she explained.
She further noted that the fund will support child protection, family strengthening, and alternative care interventions, including assistance to foster parents, kinship caregivers, child-headed households, and homeless children.
“Child protection is a devolved function in practice, but the fund is national. Without proper coordination structures, implementation conflicts are inevitable,” the representative noted.
However, participants raised concerns about the lack of clear eligibility criteria, particularly for informal caregivers, warning that ambiguity could lead to exclusion of deserving beneficiaries.
Stakeholders also questioned the sustainability of the fund, calling on the government to outline long-term financing mechanisms to guarantee continuity of support programmes.
In addition, concerns were raised over limited public awareness of the proposed regulations, with participants urging the government to intensify civic education to ensure communities understand how to access the fund and participate in its implementation.
Despite the concerns, participants acknowledged that the establishment of the Child Welfare Fund is a significant step towards addressing persistent challenges affecting children, including poverty, neglect, abuse, family breakdown, and exposure to harmful practices.
The forum reaffirmed the importance of public participation as a constitutional requirement, with participants submitting both oral and written memoranda to inform the finalisation of the regulations.
The State Department for Children Services is expected to consolidate feedback from similar forums across the country before finalizing and gazetting the Child Welfare Fund Regulations.
By Geofrey Wang’anya
