The International Missing Children’s Day 2025 was observed Friday to celebrate those who have been found and reunited with their families and also to strengthen awareness and response efforts.
In Kenya the national commemoration was observed at the St Joseph the worker Ngong catholic church
International Missing Children’s Day is a day observed on May 25th yearly to raise awareness of missing children and support the efforts of various people to reunite them with their families.
It is also a reminder of the continuing effort to find missing children, prevent abductions and provide resources to affected families.
Speaking during the celebrations, Principal Secretary State Department for Children Services, Carren Ageng’o said that the protection of children requires collaboration between the government and humanitarian actors.
She noted that data from the Child Protection Information Management System reveals that in 2024 the country recorded 8,824 missing cases and found children.
From this number, 3,866 were children whose whereabouts remain unknown, while 4,958 were children who had been found, but their parents or guardians could not be traced, she added.
Despite these numbers, Ageng’o said there is progress since the same year, 2,336 children were reunited with their families or placed in care options.
“These outcomes show that with timely action and coordinated response, it is possible to bring missing children back and restore hope to families,” the PS said.
The PS called for more allocation of funds to support children’s welfare to deal with issues of children missing cases and other welfare.
Millie Odhiambo, member of parliament of Suba North, warned children against associating with strangers and advised them to be very careful when they are online.
She urged parents to protect their children and monitor the kind of information their children access online and the kind of people they engage with.
Odhiambo promised to continue pushing for more budget allocation towards children’s welfare, youths and women.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative of Kenya, Jin Kim, said that protection of children must start from where the children live, learn and play.
“Every 2 minutes a child goes missing globally. Each missing child is more than a statistic. They have a name, a story and a family’s heartache,” said Kim.
Kim expressed hope that governments will amplify children’s voices and fully integrate every child into the national protection system.
“We will be honoured to stand alongside government agencies, NGOs, practitioners and everyone else to unite in our shared mission to ensure that no child is left behind, unseen or unprotected in Kenya,” concluded Kim.
Laura Anayah, the governor of the Kenya Children Assembly for Kajiado, added that factors like excessive strictness from parents, excessive leniency by parents, mistreatment from foster parents, neglect and others can cause children to run away.
“Every missing child represents a family torn apart, a future left uncertain and a community searching for answers,” said Anayah.
She urged parents, caregivers and the government to ensure that children have quality education, strengthen social protection programmes and increase public awareness on how to treat children with love while giving them emotional support.
The government has taken several steps to reunite children with their families, including developing and disseminating national guidelines, strengthening referral and rapid response mechanisms and assigning children’s officers in every sub-county to ensure timely reporting and intervention.
If a child goes missing, report immediately to the nearest children welfare office, the police, the area chief or the DCC. You can also call the toll-free children welfare number, 116.
In attendance were the representative of UNHCR in Kenya, the member of parliament of Suba North, the DCC of Kajiado North, the governor of the Kenya Children’s Assembly of Kajiado, the regional coordinator of children’s services for Rift Valley, children’s officers, learners from all over Kenya, parents and teachers.
By Lizzie Auma
