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Kenya’s Over-Reliance on Institutionalization as a Child Care and Child Protection Model: A Root-Cause Approach

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  • Njeri Chege

    (Independent Researcher, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Stephen Ucembe

    (Hope and Homes for Children, Nairobi 00200, Kenya)

Abstract

Institutionalization of children who are deprived of parental care is a thriving phenomenon in the global South, and has generated considerable concern both nationally and internationally, in the last two decades. In Kenya, the number of children growing up in live-in care institutions has been growing ever since the country’s early post-independence years. Although legislative and regulatory measures aimed at child protection have been in place for a number of years now, and the national government appears to be standing by the commitment it expressed in recent times to implement care reform which encompasses de-institutionalization, the national child protection system remains very dependent on institutional care. Against the backdrop of a global and national movement towards de-institutionalization of child care and child protection, in this paper we tease out the range of factors reinforcing Kenya’s over-reliance on live-in institutions as a child care and child protection model. Numerous factors—structural, political, economic, socio-cultural, and legal—contribute to the complexity of the issue. We highlight this complexity, bringing together different angles, while pointing out the interests of the different stakeholders in reinforcing institutional care. We argue that the sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness of the intended change from institutional care to alternative family-based care requires that a root-cause approach be adopted in addressing the underlying child care and child protection issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Njeri Chege & Stephen Ucembe, 2020. "Kenya’s Over-Reliance on Institutionalization as a Child Care and Child Protection Model: A Root-Cause Approach," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:9:y:2020:i:4:p:57-:d:349035
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fredrick O. Wanyama & Anna McCord, 2017. "The politics of scaling up social protection in Kenya," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-087-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    2. Kristen Cheney, 2014. "‘Giving Children a Better Life?’ Reconsidering Social Reproduction, Humanitarianism and Development in Intercountry Adoption," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 26(2), pages 247-263, April.
    3. Njeri Chege, 2018. "Children’s Personal Data: Discursive Legitimation Strategies of Private Residential Care Institutions on the Kenyan Coast," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Fredrick O. Wanyama & Anna McCord, 2017. "The politics of scaling up social protection in Kenya," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-087-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Anthony Waweru & Peter Koome & Alice Wairimu Omondi, 2020. "Influence of income-generating activities on management effectiveness of charitable children institutions in Nakuru Town East Sub-County," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 9(5), pages 58-65, September.
    2. Leticia Cano-López & Yolanda María De la Fuente-Robles & Virginia Fuentes & María Aranda & Macarena Espinilla-Estévez, 2021. "How Does the Family Influence the Process of Transition to Adulthood? A Comparative Study of Young People with and without Family Ties in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-11, August.
    3. Steven Roche & Catherine Flynn, 2021. "Local child protection in the Philippines: A case study of actors, processes and key risks for children," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(3), pages 367-383, September.

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