If your child is generally notorious and you feel he/she is now beyond your control, you should consider handing him over to one of the established juvenile remand homes in Kenya?
For starters, these are the correctional institutions in which kids engaged in crime (18yrs and below) are taken to undergo rehabilitation in an attempt to change them positively.
We have compiled a list of juvenile schools in Kenya to help you know where to start if you have been thinking of taking your child there to have their behavior straightened before it is too late.
Let’s dive in:
Juvenile Remand Homes in Kenya (including their location and contacts)
Before we turn to the list of Kenya’s juvenile remand homes, here is what you need to know first:
Like many other countries, you don’t have the right to place your difficult child in any of these facilities willingly-there is a juvenile justice system process to be followed.
Let’s take a brief look at the process you must follow if you are looking to place your naughty child in any of the juvenile centers in Kenya:
Step 1: Witness the child having delinquent behavior.
In general, a kid cannot be taken to a juvenile home unless there is a witness to their persistent disturbing conduct.
In other words, there must be an independent witness of the child engaging in actions that are contrary to the laws of the land for the juvenile justice system (JJS) to come in.
Step 2: Referral
Whoever has witnessed the bad behavior- the police, parents, educators, officials from the child protection department, etc.- should refer or arrest the victim and present them before the Juvenile court.
Now, but for the Nairobi Juvenile court which runs independently, these courts are not really separate from normal courts and listen to juvenile cases on an ad-hoc basis.
To add, Juvenile courts must either sit on different days/ a different building (or at a different time) from regular courts.
Keep in mind that unlike adult court sessions, the public is usually locked out of juvenile court sessions.
Step 3: Intake/Diversion
Here the court will make a preliminary hearing where the specific criminal matter will be heard after which they decide if the offending child should be formally prosecuted in a juvenile court.
The case can otherwise be dismissed or handled informally off the juvenile law system.
Step 4: Transfer/Waiver
Serious offenders undergo prosecution – by police prosecutors- in the juvenile court or sometimes as adults in criminal courts (those aged 15+ years).
Step 5: Detention
Those forwarded to criminal courts can be remanded in one of the juvenile remand homes (or one of Kenya’s adult remand prisons) or allowed to remain free as the case goes on.
Don’t forget that the case can take anything from a few weeks to a few years depending on how serious the charges are.
In the end, the decision of the magistrate is what determines if the young problematic person will be committed to a juvenile home in Kenya.
The judge can also decide to send him/her to an approved school such as Wamumu in Mwea (if 15 years old/younger) or an adult prison (those very notorious and at least 14 yrs old).
Other are sent to borstal institutions (for boys 15 years old, at least).
Just to be clear, Borstals – currently Shimolatewa and Shikusa- are located right next to adult prisons and are run by the prison department so their environment is significantly penal and punitive (compared to juvenile remand homes).
With that out of the way, let’s proceed to our list of the examples of juvenile prisons in Kenya.
List of Juvenile Remand Homes in Kenya (Juvenile Remand centers)
Kisumu Remand Center
Location: Kisumu East, Kisumu town
Email: kisumuremand@yahoo.com
Phone: 0721852028
Manga Remand Center
Location: Along Motemomwamu-Manga road
Email: mangacrh@yahoo.com
Phone: 0720283926
Kiambu Remand Center
Location: Kirigiti, Ruiru-Kamiti road
Email: managerkiamburemand@yahoo.com
Phone: 0724507876
Nyeri Remand Center
Location: near Ruring’u stadium
Email: nyerichildrenremand2017@yahoo.com
Phone: 0723831298
Malindi Remand Center
Location: Maweni, Malindi
Email: mremandhome@yahoo.com
Phone: 0726726116
Nairobi Remand Center
Location: lower Kabete road
Email: dknjama@gmail.com,
Phone: 0723677626
Other remand homes in the country are found in Murang’a, Kakamega, Kericho, Eldoret, Likoni, and Nakuru counties.
Remember what I have mentioned above: You cannot just wake up one day and decide to take your child to a juvenile home.
Instead, you must always follow the due legal process (under the local juvenile justice system) for him/her to be sent there by a magistrate.
How is life in a Juvenile remand home?
Children spend most of their days locked into the dorms, except when they are allowed to go outside for meals or to do some work (like working on the Shamba).
Juvenile remand homes are also generally overcrowded and children often sleep two in a bed.
Children there also face other serious problems such as unsanitary conditions and even hunger so that is something you should have in mind as you contemplate taking your kid there.
Rehabilitation Centers (approved schools in Kenya)
These operate as education centers (or approved schools) and the magistrate will sometimes commit an offending child to an approved school instead of a juvenile remand home.
What is more important to understand is that in an approved school, children continue their education while undergoing behavior correctional programs.
Here are the approved schools in Kenya under the children’s department currently:
Wamumu Boys
Location: near Mwea-Embu road
Email: managerwamumurehab@gmail.com
Phone: 0720432077/ 0798794918
Kabete Boys
Location: lower Kabete road
Email: nyagajames54@yahoo.com
Phone: 0725442919
Kericho Boys
Location: Kericho town
Email: rehabkericho@gmail.com
Dagoretti Girls
Location: near Dagoretti center
Email: kiruiclara743@gmail.com
Phone: 0724661694
Other juvenile rehabilitation centers (juvenile approved schools) in the country are Kirigiti Girls, Kakamega Boys, Othaya Boys, Getathuru Boys, Thika Boys, Likoni Boys, and Machakos Boys rehabilitation facilities.
Children Rescue Centers
Unlike Juvenile homes, these are under the children departments and are simply refuge homes for children who have suffered violence, abuse, or exploitation at the hand of their families (or those separated from their families).
Below are the children rescue centers in Kenya (under the children’s department):
Machakos Reception
Location: off Machakos-Wote road
Email: mrescuecentre@yahoo.com
Phone: 0720117087
Nairobi Rescue Center
Location: lower Kabete off Kapenguria road
Email: nairobichome@yahoo.com
Phone: 0722669388
Juvenile Remand Homes in Kenya –FAQs (Frequently asked questions)
What are the juvenile delinquency statistics in Kenya?
Statistics confirm that the rate of juvenile delinquency in Kenya has been on the rise in recent years with most of the victims being street children.
Research also has indicated that these cases have been influenced mainly by high poverty levels and high rates of unemployment opportunities in the country.
Please check the Kenya national bureau of statistics website for the latest statistics (also check the latest social protection reports).
How long can a child be kept in a juvenile remand home?
It depends but in general, the maximum is 3 years
Take Away
Juvenile remand homes in Kenya are not necessarily meant to punish children offenders and most of their activities focus on behavioral change.
In a nutshell, they are aimed at educating and safeguarding violent teenagers in safe facilities in an attempt to change them positively and can be a good option if you have exhausted all other options.
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