This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
Published on July 8, 2019, a proposed law to reform Kenya's adoption process has stalled in the Labour Ministry due to a dispute over which body should control adoption.
The proposed law, which has been completed and ready for Parliament, proposes the establishment of a National Adoption Committee to review adoption applications independently.
However, the Labour Ministry, headed by Ukur Yatani, is delaying the bill's passage, citing concerns over the role of the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) in the adoption process.
A top official in the Attorney General's office told The Standard that the draft bill has factored in all Kenyan views, but the single issue delaying its passage is the dispute over CWSK's role.
“We are ready to forward the draft bill to Parliament. You should ask why the labour ministry is delaying to hand over the same. The taskforce did its work and handed it to the ministry hoping that by January this year, children would benefit from it,” said the official, who sought anonymity.
The proposed law also aims to address the current regime's shortcomings, including the education of majority of children being cut off while waiting for cases to be heard in court.
It is envisioned that the justice system will be friendly to children and will have structures in place to correct errant children in a way that benefits them.
Under the proposed law, any person who unlawfully deprives a child of their liberty or subjects them to torture or other cruel and inhuman punishment will be liable for a jail term not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding one million shillings or to both.
