Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage Hanna Wendot have defended the government’s handling of missing children cases before the Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, saying the State has strengthened coordination between security agencies and child protection institutions to improve investigations and family support.
Wendot, accompanied by Principal Secretary for Children Services Carren Ageng’o, appeared before the committee chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor to respond to concerns over the increasing cases of missing children and to explain the status of investigations into high-profile cases, including the deaths of Travis Wanjohi Nderitu and Mary Wanjiru Muhinja from Nyeri County.
In a detailed submission to senators, the Ministry acknowledged the growing public concern surrounding disappearances of children but maintained that the government’s response combines criminal investigations with child protection interventions.
“The Government response is anchored on two linked tracks,” Wendot told the committee.
Wendot told the senators, “First, the police and investigation track. Every missing child case must be reported immediately to the nearest police station to obtain an OB number or police post. The National Police Service records the report, leads search and rescue, and investigates the matter.”
The Ministry further stated that, “Where the facts suggest abduction, child stealing, trafficking, sexual violence, homicide, online exploitation, cross-county movement or other serious criminal circumstances, the matter is escalated to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.”
On the second approach, the CS said, “Second, the child protection and family support track. The Ministry, through the State Department for Children Services, leads prevention, child protection case management, family tracing support, referrals, psychosocial support, temporary care where required, reintegration, aftercare and follow-up with parents and caregivers.”
She further added, “The Ministry does not substitute the investigative role of the National Police Service or DCI. Its responsibility is to ensure that the affected child and family are supported through the child justice and protection systems.”
The committee had sought an annual breakdown of missing children reported to the Department for Children’s Services and the National Police Service from 2021, updates on investigations into the Nyeri cases and measures being implemented to strengthen the child protection system.
According to data presented to senators, Kenya recorded 43,844 missing children cases between January 2021 and December 2025.
The Ministry reported that annual cases increased from 8,999 in 2021 to 9,419 in 2022, declined to 8,178 in 2023 and 8,082 in 2024, before rising again to 9,166 in 2025.
The report before the senate indicates that children reported as abandoned accounted for the largest share of cases.
“‘Abandoned’ children account for the large majority of the national caseload representing 28,408 cases (64.8% of the total), more than four times the number of ‘Abduction’ cases (8,152; 18.6%) and ‘Missing Child (Lost & Found)’ cases (7,284; 16.6%) combined. This indicates that abandonment, rather than abduction, is the primary driver of the missing-children burden nationally.”
The Ministry also identified counties recording the highest number of missing children cases over the five-year period.
“Reporting is heavily concentrated geographically. Nairobi (6,389 cases) and Nakuru (3,169 cases) alone account for approximately 22 percent of all cases reported nationally, followed by Kakamega (2,298), Kiambu (2,249) and Siaya (1,704).”
On interventions, the Ministry said approximately half of all reported cases received direct child protection action.
“Between 2021 and 2025, Kenya’s child protection system recorded 43,844 missing-children cases, of which 22,650 (about 52%) received a concrete intervention.”
The report further added that reunification with families remains the most common outcome.
“Of these, care responses dominate: reunification (2,504), joint parental agreements (2,537), maintenance (1,857), and committal to Charitable Children’s Institutions (1,687) together account for the bulk of resolved cases, alongside reconciliation (1,062), family support (1,060), and psychosocial support (1,083).”
The CS also briefed senators on the investigations into the deaths of Travis Wanjohi Nderitu and Mary Wanjiru Muhinja.
According to the report, five-year-old Travis Wanjohi was reported missing on March 30, 2026 in Mathira East, Nyeri County before his body was recovered from River Ragati on May 7. The Ministry informed the committee that investigations are being handled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and that one suspect has been arrested and charged with murder.
In the case of one-year-and-seven-month-old Mary Wanjiru Muhinja, the report states that she was reported missing in Tetu Sub-County before her body was recovered from Gura River. The Ministry told senators that a suspect has been arrested and charged with murder and that the matter is pending before the High Court in Nyeri.
To address the broader challenge of missing children, the Ministry outlined several reforms, including public awareness campaigns, strengthening the DCI Child Alert system, implementation of operational guidelines on missing and found children, establishment of a national missing and found children database, creation of a joint multi-agency child protection framework and enhanced collaboration between government institutions and non-state actors.
CS Wendot called for sustained cooperation among all agencies involved in child protection.
” The disappearance or loss of a child is a matter of critical national importance that demands seamless inter-agency coordination, zero administrative delay, and absolute transparency.”
It further noted that, “By maintaining a clear division of labour, where law enforcement commands the investigative front and the State Department for Children Services drives the protective, psychosocial, and family-support front, the Government ensures a compassionate and resilient safety net for the children of Kenya.”
