About 700,000 vulnerable children being supported by the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) risk being left homeless should the government proceed with plans to dissolve the agency.

Yesterday, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua pleaded with MPs to save the institution after his efforts during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto fell on deaf ears.

CWSK is among the more than 40 government parastatals earmarked for either dissolution or merger to enhance efficiency.

Should the government dissolve CWSK as proposed, confidential documents relating to adoption of children and matters touching on foster care are also at risk of being exposed.

Mutua’s pplea came after the MPs were informed that operations of the society could be paralysed in the 2025/2026 financial year after no funds were allocated to it.

Appearing before the departmental committee on Social Protection committee chaired by Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a, Mutua disclosed how he spent more than 20 minutes trying to convince his Cabinet colleagues to spare CWSK from dissolution.

He explained that he had written several letters to the National Treasury seeking for funding owing to the fact that it has been supporting children’s dietary, health, shelter, education and psycho-social for over 70 years.

Destitute children

“During the Cabinet meeting I spent 20 minutes defending CWSK from being dissolved but I don’t know why I did not carry the day.

Remember there were many CS’s who were also pushing to have some of their institutions saved and I was told that opening up this window would allow too many requests to be made,” Mutua said.

Mutua made the sentiments on the day the society’s board of trustees many of the children, including day-old babies, could end up on the streets should the institution be dissolved.

The officials further explained that confidential documents dealing with adoption and the issue of foster care parents could be exposed owing to the fact that the institution is a repository of the said documents.

A member of the board of Trustee Ludeki Chweya revealed that an estimated 6,000 rescued children, being sheltered in safe houses after they were rescued from exploitation could die should they return to the streets.

In addition, he also explained that another 3,000 infants and babies that have been taken up by the institution will have nowhere to live and thus risk dying should they make their way back to the streets.

“Some of these children were rescued just a few hours after they were born and if we proceeded with these plans, they will have nowhere to go,” Chweya said.

“This institution was formed 70 years ago and apart from the ministry sending children to us, we also receive children from other institutions such as the judiciary, the police and other private entities. This year alone we are already handling about 700 000, while last year we handled 937 000 children,” Chweya told the MPs.

Chweya further regretted that another 2700 lost children who were rescued and are being supported by the institution and another 171 000 whose education is being supported by the organization would also have no home to go to should the government proceed with its decisions.

“The society takes care of all children including facilitating them, giving them good homes and also giving them up for adoption,” he said.

He added: “If this society is defunded and thus discontinued, the impact on our children will be adverse.”

Committee members led by Nga’ng’a protested the decision to defund the institution terming the move as unacceptable and wrong.

Serious matter

Ng’anga said the committee would meet the technical committee that made the decision to dissolve the society to understand why it was lumped together with the others that were earmarked for dissolution.

“We cannot keep quiet because we are dealing with the children of Kenya whose care is under our mandate,” he said.

Kipkelion West MP Hilary Kosegi termed the matter as very serious owing to that fact that the lives of thousands of children was at risk.

He said: “This is a very serious matter. The fate of 700,000 children who depend on this society would be sealed with a mere stroke of pen. This is a tragedy that should worry all of us.”

Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo said Kenya must be in the forefront to take care of its children while Seme MP James Nyikal demanded to know the decision that informed the committee to dissolve the institution.