The government will shut down illegal children rescue and orphanage centres and prosecute church organisations operating them to avert cases of abuse of children. Nakuru County Children’s Officer Ms Olive Kamau noted that some church organisations in the county were operating unlicensed children homes and rescue centres thus violating the laws and procedures required in starting and running the facilities. Many of these organisations, she noted, were exploiting parents, guardians and philanthropists by soliciting for handouts from them to support the illegal centres. Speaking to Hivisasa in her office in Nakuru town on Wednesday, Ms Kamau noted that children who find their way into such centres are exposed to pathetic living conditions and substandard education and healthcare services which is against the spirit of legal children homes and rescue centres. “Some of these children centres are not registered with the government but pose as rescue centres for the poor and orphaned children. We are warning any one or group that is operating an illegal children home to come forward and explain why we don’t have them in our records or they will be arrested and prosecuted,’’ she warned. Kamau warned parents and guardians from poor backgrounds not to admit their children to unregistered children’s rescue centres because they would expose them to danger. On Monday police and officers from the children office raided an illegal children home in Kaptembwa Estate and rescued 130 children.

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