Mombasa County on Thursday joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of the African Child.
The day is celebrated throughout the continent to commemorate the day black children thronged the streets of South Africa in 1976 to articulate for equal educational rights with their white counterparts.
The event was held at the Oil Refinery Grounds, Changamwe, with the theme "Conflict and Crisis: Protecting all children rights."
speaking during the event, Mombasa Children Department Director Elizabeth Mbuka said that crisis during election periods in Africa lead to many children being orphaned.
"Many children have lost their parents through such crisis. This has forced many of them to move to towns to make a living, after being unable to lead a normal life,” said Mbuka.
On his part, Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi said poor governance in many African countries is the main reason why the continent has been experiencing political mayhem.
He called for free and fair elections to ensure that rights of children are protected.
"I urge all sitting governments to provide an equal opportunity to their opponents so that whoever wins is accepted by all. This is what is affecting African countries during elections," said Mwinyi.
He however lauded the Kenyan government for ensuring equal education opportunities to all children.