The Judiciary in Kisii County has identified shortage of staff as one of the major causes for delays in the timely prosecution of children’s matters in court.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Day Against Child Labour at Itierio grounds in Kisii South Sub County, Kisii Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Omwanza said some of the child matters drag in court due to the availability of few judicial officers.
“The law demands that any children’s matter should be processed within six months; unfortunately, the cases take longer than that because we are few and cannot manage the case workload,” noted Omwanza.
The Judicial Officer also decried laxity by community members in providing evidence in court regarding child matters, saying it had contributed to the cases being withdrawn or dismissed in court.
“Many people, especially at the grassroots level, do not come out and give evidence, and as such, the court entirely depends on the evidence given in court,” said the Senior Principal Magistrate.
Omwanza urged the residents to come out and tender evidence in court whenever a crime has been committed, especially in matters concerning children, for timely justice.
Speaking at the same event, the Accelerating Action for the Elimination of Child Labour in Africa (ACCEL Africa) National Project Officer Duncan Chando noted that child labour is still prominent in the value chains of the tea and coffee sectors in Kisii, with children engaging in tea and coffee picking.
Chando called for the adoption of a multi-sectoral approach that will ensure partners raise awareness and work towards the elimination of child labour in the county.
“Let us unite as a society and partners so that we fasten all the processes to ensure that we eradicate child labour,” he affirmed.
The ACCEL Africa project is being implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with the aim of eliminating child labour in supply chains in Kisii, Kericho, Nyeri and Meru counties in Kenya.
According to the Child Labour Global Estimates released in June 2025 by ILO and UNICEF, approximately 138 million children are still engaged in child labour.
Out of these, over 54 million children are involved in hazardous work that endangers their health, safety and development.
Notably, agriculture accounts for nearly 70 per cent of all child labourers, especially on family farms, with children in rural areas being three times more likely to be engaged in child labour compared to their urban peers.
The report also reveals that the Sub-Saharan Africa region, including Kenya, has witnessed the slowest progress in the elimination of child labour due to population growth and limited resources.
On his part, Kisii County Director of Children Services Patrick Awino pointed out that children’s matters are complex and encouraged synergies with the relevant stakeholders to identify cases of child abuse.
The Director urged the community members to work with child protection volunteers in identifying cases of child abuse at the grassroots and escalating them to the relevant authorities for intervention.
The World Day Against Child Labour is observed annually on June 12 and the day is dedicated to raising awareness and combating child labour.
By Mercy Osongo
