Kenya: Cabinet Approves Indefinite Ban On Adoption of Kenyan Children By Foreigners

Kenya Cabinet Secretaries recently approved an indefinite ban on Inter - Country adoption of Kenyan children by foreigners. During a meeting recently, the cabinet also revoked all licences to conduct inter-county adoptions in Kenya with immediate effect.

The decision was informed by a report released last week by the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2014, (UNODC) that cited Kenya as a source, transit and destination country in human trafficking.


The country is also ranked at Tier 2 Watch List for non-compliance with minimum standards for elimination of human trafficking, based on the 2014 US State Department report on trafficking in persons. In arriving at this decision, Cabinet noted that, currently Kenyan laws did not define child sale, child procuring, child trade and child laundering as part of child trafficking.

In a statement the Cabinet said the loopholes have put Kenyan children at very high risk as it creates a loophole "for fraudulent, vested interests, masquerading through ownership of children homes, adoption agencies and legal firms representing children, and adopters, to engage in the unscrupulous business of Human Trafficking under the guise of charity."

Credit: AllAfrica