Improving the Kenya Juvenile Justice System

Nairobi, July 20, 2016: CESVI in collaboration with the European Union, the Government of Kenya and other partners have today marked the closure of the Improving the Kenya Juvenile Justice System project in Nairobi.

During the conference, which was held at the Sarova Panafric Hotel, the National Committee on Administration of Justice (NCAJ) launched the survey report which shows that neglect of children rights, including physical, psychological and sexual violence are still a big part of children’s lives across all stages of Kenya’s Justice System. CESVI also launched a guidelines manual highlighting good practices established by the project.

Speaking during the conference, CESVI project coordinator Diego Ottolini, attested to the fact that the Improving the Kenya Juvenile Justice System project has contributed to a significant reduction of multiple forms of violence to children across Kenya’s National Juvenile Justice System through CESVI and partners’ support of enhanced coordination at National and County level of the justice system actors, provision of data and information on the condition of children, building awareness and capacity of major JJ agencies personnel
and services provision in response to children’s needs.

The project refurbished basic infrastructures of ten statutory institutions, six children courts and nine police stations. It also engaged about 1000 children in violence against children monitoring and reporting procedures while 114 children with disabilities were identified, assessed and provided with related services including special education and medical support. Furthermore, 538 Department of Children Service officers were provided with certificates of studies in counselling, education and social work. Ninety children magistrates
were trained on child-friendly practices. This has enabled fast-tracking of children’s cases by involving community structures and hence protecting children from unnecessary exposure to the long judicial processes.

“Strengthening child protection systems is one of the EU's priorities, with a focus on ending all forms of violence against children. The EU Agenda for the Rights of the Child aims to promote, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in all relevant EU policies and actions,” said Mita Manek, who represented the EU.

Article 53 of the Kenya Constitution provides that every child has a right not to be detained, except as a measure of last resort, and when detained, to be held for the shortest appropriate period of time, and separated from adults and in conditions that take account of the child’s sex and age.

“Violence against children is entirely preventable. As government, we acknowledge the need to double our efforts in protecting child violence so as to effectively complement the set-up infrastructures and interventions by our development partners”, said the representative of the Director, Department of Children’s Services, Kellen Karanu.

CESVI’s Diego Ottolini added that this project has provided good evidence-based grounds on children’s condition across the justice system and tested viable response actions. He observed that violence is like the rain as it can affect anyone at any time. Thus, violence eradication is a journey which starts by acknowledging and accepting that there is violence in the children justice system. He said that other steps have to follow, especially by the government, which needs to prioritise child protection in its agenda through increased and
dedicated financial, human resource, infrastructure support and improved legislation, in response to the major challenges found in the Kenya Juvenile Justice System.

“We call upon the government to allocate adequate resources towards eliminating all forms of child violence. It should also ensure that officials who work with children are specially educated and trained on how to handle children's cases. Such officers like law enforcement personnel, the judiciary, officers associated with juvenile court proceedings, children's officers and probation officers, and staff at correctional institutions should be sensitised about the special needs and rights of children,” concluded the NCAJ chair Otiende Amollo.