The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has called for greater institutional and community support for boys in need of care and protection, following a visit to the Thika Children’s Rescue Centre, the only government facility in Kenya dedicated exclusively to boys.
During the visit, NGEC officials were briefed on the challenges facing the Centre, including inadequate infrastructure, staffing shortages, and limited funding — gaps that continue to strain its ability to deliver on its mandate. The team conducted an extensive tour of the facility, interacting with staff and children, and concluded the visit with a symbolic tree-planting exercise — a gesture of hope, renewal, and continuity. According to the Commission, findings from the visit will inform advisory notes to relevant State agencies, aimed at mobilising action to strengthen the Centre’s capacity to safeguard and rehabilitate boys who have faced neglect, abuse, or abandonment.
“The welfare of children in care institutions speaks to our national values of dignity, equality, and justice,” an NGEC official said. “Every child — boy or girl — deserves protection, nurturing, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in a safe and supportive environment.”
The Thika Children’s Rescue Centre provides shelter, psychosocial support, education, and rehabilitation services to boys rescued from the streets, abusive households, or conflict with the law. NGEC’s visit reaffirmed the need for targeted investment in child protection systems that leave no group behind — including boys, whose vulnerabilities are often overlooked in gender and social protection programming.
