Kafaala implementation framework to be launched Nov. 26
Kafaala is an Islamic care system for children who are deprived of family care. It provides a family-based alternative to children’s homes, where a Muslim family takes responsibility for a child's upbringing.
The National Framework for the Implementation of Kafaalah for Children will be launched on November 26, 2025, in Nairobi.
The framework is part of the government's plans to move away from institutionalized child care to safe family settings with ongoing monitoring and clear protocols for caregivers.
Kafaala is an Islamic care system for children who are deprived of family care. It provides a family-based alternative to children’s homes, where a Muslim family takes responsibility for a child's upbringing.
Through the plan, families are encouraged to provide family care to a child who is separated from their families or is at risk of separation to give them a sense of belonging and identity.
Under Kafalah, the child retains their own biological family name, inheritance rights and does not assume the name of the adoptive family. The connection with the biological family is also not severed.
The launch will be the culmination of seven years of a transformative journey in child care reforms, where the State Department for Children Services, among other agencies, has partnered with the Office of the Kadhi Court, Jamia mosque and other organisations to promote the concept of Kafaalah in the Muslim Community.
The Principal Secretary, State Department for Children Services Carren Achieng Ageng'o, and the acting Chief Kadhi Sheikh Sukyan Hassan Omar, will be among the prominent personalities attending the launch event.
The initiative has been spearheaded by Changing the Way We Care, a global faith-driven initiative promoting family based care.
“The event will bring together government officials, child protection practitioners, donors, faith leaders, and community representatives. It will feature reflections and a call to action,” said Margaret Kahiga from the Changing the Way We Care.
The Deputy Project Director, Changing the Way We Care Khadija Abdulrahim Karama, said the framework will provide clear guidelines and legal structures for the implementation of Kafaalah across the country, ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, nurturing family environment.
She observed that the implementation into the country’s national child care framework signifies a key step towards inclusive, faith-sensitive approaches to child welfare.
“Care reform is the systemic transformation of the policies, structures, services, and practices that govern the care and protection of children who are separated from their families or at risk of separation,” she said.
As part of the reform process to ensure consistent and quality care for vulnerable children, the government in 2022 launched the National Care Reform Strategy for Children—a ten-year, multi-sectoral implementation framework programme that seeks to ensure that vulnerable children are cared for within home environments, and community care rather than in Children Charitable Institutions (CCI’s).
Globally, countries are gradually shifting from children's homes, as it has been discovered that institutionalized children lacked personalized parental attention, suffered in silence under several forms of abuse, and lacked practical life skills that would enable them to face the realities of life.