Children in the South Rift region who are caught up in legal trouble, abused or neglected now have a place to stay away from police cells.
Minors with court cases will no longer be locked up like adults at police stations, after a Child Protection Unit (CPU) was opened at the Kericho police headquarters.
The children will stay at the centre as they await processing by the Judiciary.
It has boarding facilities that can hold children for the 24-hour legal limit before they are taken to court or as they await to be transferred to correctional centres.
The CPU was funded by multinational tea company James Finlay Kenya, which has operations in Kericho and Bomet counties.
The new facility opened against the backdrop of a recent incident in Bomet where nine suspects, including four minors, broke out of police cells after cutting through metallic bars.
One suspect has since been arrested while the others are still at large. The incident demonstrated that children are being held in cells with adults, which is against the law.
Justice Asenath Ongeri of the Kericho High Court said all children are vulnerable as they cannot defend themselves and they need protection.
“There are two categories of children in such a set-up – those who have committed or are suspected to have committed offences and those who have been abandoned or in need of protection,” said Justice Ongeri when he presided over the opening of the centre on Wednesday.
She said children at risk of violence, exploitation, neglect, abuse and separation from family could access integrated protection services and legal aid at the centre.
“The world has come a long way in coming up with conventions on the rights of children, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which has been adopted by the African Union as a regional document, as well Kenya’s Children Act of 2001,” Justice Ongeri said.
“The Constitution of Kenya gives rights to children and the family unit and the Child Protection Unit that we have commissioned in Kericho is in line with the local law and international conventions.”
Mr Gideon Mutai, Kericho’s county attorney, said setting up the centre came as the region faced an upsurge of criminal cases involving juveniles.
“Cases of defilements, abuse of children and their being abandoned by parents have lately become issues of concern in the South Rift region, with a rise in the number of street families,” he said.
Exposing children to life in the streets, he said, was breeding a culture of lawlessness among them at a tender age when they should be protected by the society.
Defilements between juveniles have also been reported in the region, raising concern among stakeholders.
Mr Simeon Hutchinson, the managing director at James Finlay, said the company wants to help alleviate the problems facing children in the region.
“A lot of people have been working behind the scenes for a long time to make the dream come true, to have a secluded place for children who are in conflict with the law. We are happy this has become a reality and children will now have the opportunity to raise their own voice and be heard,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“James Finlay will continue to work with local communities and stakeholders to improve infrastructural facilities in schools and offer scholarships to needy but bright children so that they can have equal opportunities and make informed choices in their lives in the future besides contributing to development in the society.”
He said children should be continuously empowered to know their rights and speak out against injustices facing them.
“When children are knowledgeable about their rights, they can contribute to their safety and look out for their peers as well. There is a need to create functional facilities that enable access to appropriate protection services for children,” he said. BY DAILY NATION