The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) joins Kenya and the global community in commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child, observed annually on 11 October. The day provides an opportunity to assess progress in advancing girls’ rights and renew commitment to addressing the inequalities that undermine their protection, development and participation. 

The 2026 theme is “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights”. It calls for urgent action to end a practice that cuts childhoods short, and for sustained investment that allows every girl to learn, stay safe and shape her own future.

Child marriage violates children's rights and perpetuates gender inequality. It compromises girls' health and safety, interrupts their education and limits their future economic opportunities. UNICEF estimates that 640 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood, and that 12 million girls marry before the age of 18 every year. In Kenya, about 3.9 million girls and women today were married before their 18th birthday. 

Kenya has made considerable progress in reducing child marriage. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2022, the proportion of women aged 20–24 who were married or in a union before age 18 reduced from 23 per cent in 2014 to 13 per cent in 2022. This decline masks deep inequalities. For example, UNICEF 2022 data shows that the prevalence of early marriage is 16 per cent in rural areas, compared with 9 per cent in urban areas. It is 29 per cent among women in the poorest households, compared with 6 per cent among those in the wealthiest households. County disparities are equally pronounced, with prevalence reaching 43 per cent in Tana River, 40 per cent in Marsabit and 37 per cent in Samburu. Child marriage is also closely linked to teenage pregnancy, which is estimated at 15 per cent nationally. These patterns call for targeted prevention, stronger protection services and sustained investment in the communities where girls face the greatest risk.

Kenya's obligation to protect girls from child marriage is anchored in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. Article 27 guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination, and Article 28 protects the inherent dignity of every person. Article 53 guarantees every child free and compulsory basic education and protection from abuse, violence and harmful cultural practices. It further requires that a child's best interests be paramount in every matter concerning the child.

These guarantees are given effect by national legislation. The Marriage Act, 2014, sets 18 years as the minimum age of marriage, and the Children Act, 2022, expressly prohibits child marriage and other harmful practices. The Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011, and the Sexual Offences Act, 2006, protect girls from female genital mutilation and sexual violence. The Basic Education Act, 2013, gives effect to the right to free and compulsory basic education.

Kenya has also made binding international and regional commitments. These include the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), which sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage. Sustainable Development Goal Target 5.3 commits Kenya to eliminating child, early and forced marriage by 2030.

At the policy level, the National Policy for the Eradication of Female Genital Mutilation, 2019, addresses a harmful practice that is closely associated with child marriage. The National Guidelines for School Re-entry in Early Learning and Basic Education, 2020, provide a framework for returning learners to school after pregnancy, gender-based violence or other circumstances that interrupt their education.

The Commission recognizes the work of Government institutions, development partners, civil society, faith-based organizations and communities in turning these commitments into action. Sustaining that work is essential to consolidating the gains made and reaching the girls who have not yet benefited. There are notable gaps in implementation and enforcement, and these undermine the protection of girls. Barriers to reporting, stigma and limited access to support services weaken prevention and access to justice. Poverty and harmful social norms expose girls to child marriage, while drought, displacement and other emergencies can disrupt schooling and weaken family protection systems. Girls with disabilities and those in remote and marginalized communities face additional barriers to accessing services. 

As we commemorate this day, the Commission calls upon:

  1. The National Police Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary to promptly investigate and prosecute child marriage and related offences, and to protect survivors and witnesses from intimidation, retaliation and further harm.
  2. The Ministry of Interior, through the Civil Registration Services, and registrars of marriage to achieve universal birth registration, verify age before any marriage is registered, and support, with accelerated advocacy, the registration of customary and religious marriages
  3. The Ministry of Education and County Governments to remove the financial, social and accessibility barriers to girls' retention, transition and completion of school; to track learners who drop out; and to apply the school re-entry guidelines consistently so that adolescent mothers and girls leaving child marriage can resume learning without discrimination.
  4. National and County Governments to invest in girls directly through bursaries, menstrual health support, life skills, safe spaces and social protection for vulnerable households, with priority to high-prevalence counties.
  5. The Ministries of Health and of Gender, and County Governments to strengthen referral pathways across education, health, child protection and justice, ensuring timely healthcare, psychosocial support, legal aid and safe accommodation, including reasonable accommodation for girls with disabilities.
  6. The National Treasury, County Governments and humanitarian actors to integrate child marriage prevention and response into national and county plans, budgets and emergency responses, with clear responsibilities, measurable targets and regular public reporting.
  7. Families, cultural and religious leaders, men and boys to challenge the norms that drive child marriage, and to ensure girls take part meaningfully in decisions that affect them.

We also urge every Kenyan to report any child at risk of any harm, including early marriage, to the National Child Helpline on 116 or the National GBV Helpline on 1195. 

Every girl in Kenya deserves a childhood, an education and the freedom to choose her own future. NGEC reaffirms its commitment to gender equality and freedom from discrimination, and to protecting and promoting the rights of every girl.

Happy International Day of the Girl Child 2026.

HON. REHEMA JALDESA
CHAIRPERSON