Children in Nakuru County are expected to hold elections to select leaders who will represent them at The Kenya Children’s Assembly in an exercise slated to take place next week.
The exercise will involve the election of children who will exercise their civic duties in Kenya by electing their peers aged 17 years and below to represent them at the national levels.
Nakuru county coordinator for children’s services Pilot Khaemba said the exercise was critical to offer the children the platform to champion their agenda both at the county and national level.
Khaemba emphasised that the assembly is a good opportunity for children to learn how to organise themselves and advocate for the agenda that promotes their welfare.
Those elected will hold office for a minimum of one term of 2 years and a maximum of two terms. The electoral offices include a governor, deputy governor, speaker, deputy speaker, sergeant at arms, deputy sergeant at arms, clerk, deputy clerk and 4 house committee secretaries.
The Kenya Children Assembly was established in 2011 and has since been acting as a unifying organ that brings all children from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds together.
The Assembly provides the children leaders an opportunity to communicate the government policies and development plans down to children in the village and get feedback through the devolved structures.
Similarly, the recommendations and outcomes of debates at the Children Assemblies are channelled up to the County Government and the Central Government.
Khaemba explained that the Assembly will consist of 55 children’s representatives (1 from each ward), 3 Clerks appointed by the Secretariat and 4 Sergeants at-arm supported by the Scouts Association.
In addition, he added, the County Secretariat will appoint 22 chaperones drawn from the 11 sub-counties to accompany and support the children during the launch of the Assembly.
The coordinator indicated that the Assembly recognizes children as active members of society who can identify their own needs and develop solutions and enables children to influence policy, law formulation and budgetary processes from their own perspective.
The Assembly is very important as it teaches children about their rights, legislative processes and national leadership structures. It further provides a channel for children to receive information on government development plans and offers feedback to county and national governments,” stated Khaemba.
The Assembly is managed under the State Department for Children Services, domiciled within the Ministry of Gender, Culture, and Children Services. It aligns with Article 53 of the Kenyan Constitution and the Children Act 2022, which prioritize the best interests of the child.
He challenged children to use structured channels like Kenya Children Assembly to convey their views and deliberate on issues affecting their lives.
Khaemba said the structures of the Children Assembly are important because they allow children to participate in policy, legislation and other issues that are of concern to children.
“The Election Secretariat shall appoint and name area Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs) as Returning Officers for Ward Elections. On the Ward Election Day, a mapped child-focused organisation shall convene bona fide children as electors at a child-friendly venue,” he elaborated.
The coordinator indicated that the Returning officer in consultation with the organisation, may adopt a simple secret ballot or show of hand or consensus for election purposes.
Later, a Returning Officer shall constitute the five (5) elected Members into an electoral college to elect amongst themselves one Member to represent the Ward in the County Children Assembly. After the Ward Elections, the Returning Officer shall submit a list of electors, a list of five elected Members and the name of the elected Member of County Children Assembly to the Secretariat,” he stated.
By Jane Ngugi
