- In Baringo, most of the children and young mothers are suffering.
- Neglect by parents named the main challenge.
- Children Office at Koibatek sub-county is employing all efforts to curb the situation.
For the child, there is no tomorrow, for tomorrow will be too late; it is today!
The quote at the doorway truly defines what happens in the Children’s Office of Koibatek sub-county.
Citizens swamp this office with various issues around children from broken families.
It is, in essence, the pain of disintegrated families from the broken trust of the parents, who were love birds at first, who now have chosen to fly apart, leaving the kids in distress.
The confusion has threatened the stability of the offspring of our future. A true definition of child abuse in this office waves in different versions.
Located in the former Headquarters of Koibatek District that comprised Eldama Ravine and Mogotio Districts then, the children’s office is a few kilometers from Eldama Ravine Town, well-established and structured to suit the requirements that the office handles, but now under the County Government of Baringo and in Koibatek sub-county.
The office operates under the Department of Children Services and has its case categories, how cases should be reported, and guidelines for disposing of cases.
Children are born out of different circumstances; they symbolize prestige and honor to the parents and the community.
They naturally take their parents’ names, who are recognized as the primary caregivers the children depend on for everything in their lives.
In the Kenyan 2010 constitution, a child is someone who has yet to attain 18 years. A child is government property, and the laws of the land protect them.
In this case in Kenya, Article 53 of the constitution recognizes the children’s right to be protected from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhumane treatment and punishment and hazardous or exploitative labor.
The Holy book has even further detailed that a man with many children is safe because his children are like arrows; they will always protect him.
The evidence is present with us, and society pressures one to have children regardless of their situation.
Globally, the attitude of seeing childless parents as incomplete has contributed to various ways of filling that gap.
When biology fails, science comes in, applying ways like womb checkups and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) that allow people to conceive through medical procedures.
Some of the methods include In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), Zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), religious approaches like prayer, and also resorting to fostering children or adoption.
Others have gone out of wedlock searching for children when one partner seems to be blamed for infertility or delay in having a child.
While it takes two to tango, so is the process of having a child.
However, as the world runs around to seek or cater for these “treasures”, in Koibatek Sub County, the Children’s Officer is busy determining cases surrounding the children’s welfare.
A day at the office
It has been five months since Scholar Media Africa sought to have time with the Head of the Children’s Office in Koibatek sub-county.
This was an opportunity of its kind, having a whole day experience of office sessions, a humbling and mind-blowing experience.
Meet Kuria Muthandi, Koibatek sub-county Children Officer, who is also the Assistant Directorate of Children Services.
Despite the heavy rains experienced in the morning hours, the queue is already long, with Kenyans of all ages waiting for his attention and answers.
Muthandi, who focuses his Tuesdays and Thursdays on engaging Kenyans by listening to their cases in his office, gets a fast hand experience.
Handling cases
He says he handles cases of various categories, with neglect cases dominating part of his files.
The children cases are diverse, and their genesis is from a disturbed home.
If the brawl upsets or attracts the neighbors’ attention, they might choose to engage the “Nyumba Kumi” officials (a localized unit of family heads in a neighborhood) who help calm the situation amicably.
When no solution is achieved, they are referred to the area chiefs, who also attempt to bring stability and reason to the matter.
Unresolved ones end up at the police station, depending on the weight of the matter, or at the Children’s Office for the ultimate solution.
This is the start of a process the Department Of Children knows as case categories, involving reporting and disposing of.
Effective structures
Muthandi has laid structures to ensure a smooth workflow in his office, a magic that makes the processes flow easily.
During my visit, he solved 15 cases that were of different categories, the weighty type being child neglect, abduction, abandonment, birth registration, defilement, and custody, with issues about children who have HIV/ AIDS.
While some cases are handled in the office head-on to the end, and an amicable solution is reached, some are referred back to the family or the chief, depending on the agreements reached.
In every case, Muthandi says he documents all agreements and gives referral dates to ensure the matter is revisited and the agreed-upon charges are met.
In most cases, Muthandi engages elders from various villages, depending on the matter at hand, who help him understand some dynamics.
He also gets the village elder to speak to the aggrieved group, and with his influence, sometimes the feedback is positive.
During my visit recently, the first case was brought in by a chief accompanied by his AAC or District Officer, Everlyn Misilis.
Real cases witnessed
It is a case under the abduction category where both parties seem not to have their story matching. The other party alleged to have abducted the baby is missing, even after being summoned to the children’s office today.
However, the case has been under the chief’s office for a while and when time and wisdom do not seem to help the parties, it has been referred to the children’s office.
In such matters, Muthandi rings the absent party, only to get a non-satisfactory answer.
The second and third cases are of young mothers complaining about delayed fees.
On calling the babies’ fathers, one is referred to comply with a rescheduled visit to have his matter heard, while the other quickly promises to deposit the fee later in the day.
He is supposed to send the receipt of the payment to the Children’s Office as evidence.
The young women seem to feel rejected, helpless, demoralized, and dehumanized by their situations.
Some, as young as they are, engage in menial jobs to at least feed their young families.
A few of them have joined nearby vocational colleges to equip themselves with skills to better their future. These two cases are categorized as neglect.
In the fourth case, a mother alleges that her absentee husband has absconded his primary duties.
She alleges that the children are on the verge of being chased away from school because the father has refused to send her his ID copy to have the kids registered to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The alleged husband denies the kids and their mother and, applying the same drill, he’s scheduled to appear at the office on a certain date. A case of neglect, too.
The fifth case involves a separated couple who worked to acquire a piece of land. Later the husband remarried, having his first wife rent elsewhere, a sad tale that goes deep with unsolved issues of hurt and mistrust.
Muthandi, the Head of the Children’s Office in Koibatek sub-county, orders a refund of the money contributed by the wife to buy the piece of land and schedules a date for the cash delivery.
This is also under neglect.
Polygamy in the region is a key contributor to such cases, with one of the wives claiming that the other one is being favored.
One of the next cases is a referral of kids living with HIV/AIDS to a home in another county.
That would offer them a fresh start, guarantee meals all day according to their diet, education, and conducive growing environment, and frequent taking of their Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) without missing.
The program has worked before for other children, so the Children Officer is positive that the care they will receive there is healthy for their wellbeing.
The program takes one year to monitor the children before taking the next move. In such cases, the children’s office liaises with the responsible stakeholders, including the caregivers, to make the process successful.
While children are suffering from the harsh bites of HIV, one is left to wonder if all such cases are handled through the proper channels or if such children are suffering in homes due to the illiteracy of their guardians or parents.
A worrying trend
There has remained a worrying trend, even after Scholar Media highlighted HIV among adolescents on World AIDS day on December 1, 2022.
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If the facts are to go by, then the situation is really wanting and more stakeholders need to take up their positions in sensitizing the community on the importance of joining the fight.
This would allow infected children to get ARVs, healthy diets and all other essentials to keep strong and subdue the virus.
