An eleven-year-old girl has been found loitering in the streets of Ogembo, Gucha unable to identify her home.
Sylivia Nyanchera, was found at night in Ogembo market and temporarily hosted for the night by a good samaritan who sympathized with the child before taking her to the Gucha children department the following day.
Speaking to KNA, Nyachera said that she was longing to visit her grandmother at Yala sub-county, a feeling she says made her sneak from her home in Huruma, Nairobi to travel to Yala.
While expressing herself, Nyanchera says she boarded a public service vehicle she believed was plying the Nairobi-Yala route, but later found herself in Kisii town. Out of the peculiarity that had been caused by the twist of events, she started wandering from town to town within Kisii until she found herself in Ogembo, a place she says she doesn’t know.
She further explained that she has been sleeping in a sack in the streets for the last three days for lack of shelter, a sack she has been forced to walk with as part of her shelter in the chilling cold nights of Kisii.
According to the young girl, she identifies her mother as Elizabeth Kerubo while her father as Patrick Oloo, both who she says reside in Nairobi.
With each passing day, parents struggle to come to terms with the fact that their children are at risk of disappearing.
“Who is stealing our children and where do they take them?” They ask, but they never seem to get an answer.
Children, both young and old, continue to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
In the year 2021, about 1186 children were reported to have been missing in Kenya. Out of this figure, 794 children were reunited to their families while 109 children were taken in government homes through the help of Missing Child Kenya in partnership with communities, non-state and state actors.
Missing Child Kenya is a community led portal that works with organizations and individuals in the child protection sector and the public to help share information on missing children using various media platforms and increase search efforts at no cost to the affected families.
Nyanchera is one among hundreds of cases reported about missing children in the country. With the rampant increase in child missing cases, a vital question arises.
Why do children go missing?
There are a number of reasons why children are reported missing. Some children lose sight of their guardians in crowded spaces, others intentionally run away as a result of negative peer pressure and or difficulties at hom. While other children are forcefully taken from their homes as is the case in kidnappings.
Culture is also a contributing factor to the number of missing children. Some children in a number of communities in Kenya run away to escape forced child marriages and initiation ceremonies such as circumcision and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Other influences that contribute to missing children include socio-economic factors, infertility and vulnerabilities. Often, children who are reported missing come from underprivileged families.
Infants are also easy targets for traffickers who sell children to couples desiring children of their own but are unable to conceive. Youngsters with disabilities are similarly at risk as they may not be able to express themselves or provide any identifying information to authorities.
Kidnappers are known to apply various techniques to carry out their diabolical intentions. Manipulatively, they tap into the psyches of young ones, luring them with a wide array of gifts that would appeal to them, luring them into traps, and outright grabbing children.
Section 13 of The Children’s Act acknowledges the rights of a child to protection from physical and psychological abuse, neglect, and any other form of exploitation including the sale, trafficking, or abduction by a person.
Parents and caregivers are advised to be observant of their child’s whereabouts and steps. One should be aware of their pattern in presence and behavior to implement a response if anything contrary occurs.
In addition, their company should be closely monitored and vetted by the parent or guardian. In the case where a parent is working or physically separated from their child, it is highly recommended that he/she leaves them supervised by trusted persons such as family and trusted caretakers. In doing so, constant communication is advised.
In the case where a child is missing, with immediate effect, one must report to the police and provide all necessary information. This helps to narrow down the searching scope(s) and identify the missing child faster.
Sylivia Nyanchera has been rescued to Kisii children home temporarily as her parents are being sought.
