RARIEDA: Child welfare advocates are pleading with the government to halt the proposed closure of orphanages across Kenya, cautioning that the move lacks viable family-based alternatives.

The immediate transition, they warn, could leave vulnerable children without shelter and proper care.

Speaking during the Horizon Empowers Baba Nyumbani Day celebrations, the organization’s Director of Communication, Elizabeth Ngoru, strongly criticized the measure, emphasizing that it risks leaving orphans without a safe haven.

She urged authorities to prioritize establishing proper infrastructure and support systems before implementing such drastic changes.

Nicole Scott, CEO of Horizon Empowers Baba Nyumbani—which has supported vulnerable children for 21 years—pleaded directly with the government to collaborate with established organizations rather than shut them down.

“We have nowhere else to go,” she emphasized, appealing for structures to be put in place to protect children before institutional closures begin.

Local leaders joined the growing chorus of concern.

Booker Bonyo, the area Member of County Assembly (MCA), used the platform to urge all Kenyans to embrace a spirit of giving and pressed the government to allocate a dedicated national budget for orphans and widows.

He further proposed specific legislation to safeguard the welfare of vulnerable children nationwide.

This debate underscores a growing tension between policy and reality.

While the government prioritizes reforming the child care system by transitioning towards family and community-based care, advocates insist that current orphanages remain the only secure option for thousands of children until robust and sustainable family-based alternatives are fully functional.