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Child protection advocates are sounding the alarm following the release of a new report that uncovers a troubling rise in cases of online sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) involving children with intellectual disabilities in Kenya.
The findings have prompted urgent calls for legal and educational reforms to protect some of the country’s most vulnerable children.
The report, dubbed “Understanding Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children with Intellectual Disabilities,” highlights growing online threats and the lack of inclusive regulations to protect vulnerable children.
“The country has experienced an upsurge of such violations and one would wonder why the rise at this point in time. It’s even worrying given that the violators, according to the studies, cut across all social classes,” said Ms Josephine Kisilu, the Dean of Studies at the Kenya Institute of Special Education, while delivering her keynote address.
While access to the internet has increased, children with intellectual disabilities remain unprotected, largely due to systemic gaps in education, law, and community awareness, according to research findings of the report.
“It is my hope that the research has produced insights which will be useful to the government agencies and other stakeholders in curbing the menace or upsurge,” added Ms Kisilu.
The report was commissioned by ZanaAfrica and other key agencies that work to safeguard the rights of children through education and empowerment.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Megan White Mukuria, Founder of ZanaAfrica, emphasised that safeguarding children, especially girls and children with intellectual disabilities, has been at the heart of her life’s mission, from her early days working with street-involved girls to founding ZanaAfrica.
“I made a decision: my life’s work would be about unlocking the greatest opportunities for the greatest number of children, especially girls. And that starts with safeguarding,” she said.
Nia Health Link
She highlighted ZanaAfrica’s impact, including reaching over 100,000 girls each month with affordable sanitary products linked to free health and safety resources and the unveiling of Nia Health Link, a hotline and chatbot which has supported over 10,000 users.
The organisation has partnered with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development to integrate life skills education into the national curriculum, a move Mukuria said could reach up to 13 million learners. She also described Jasiri Mogul, ZanaAfrica’s trauma-informed school, as part of a broader commitment to building child-centred, Afrocentric education rooted in healing and empowerment.
As the report points to growing online threats faced by children, Mukuria called on all stakeholders, from parents to policymakers, to act urgently and collaboratively.
She proposed expanding current tools like Nia Health Link into a national digital safeguarding platform and integrating online safety into existing education frameworks.
“Some 18 million children in Kenya are already exposed to online risks,” she warned. “Let’s prepare now – before scale becomes crisis.” Her message was clear: a coordinated, data-driven, and inclusive approach is essential if Kenya is to lead in protecting its children in an increasingly digital world.
Beatrice Jane, ZanaAfrica Executive Director, stressed the urgency of addressing digital threats facing today’s youth while highlighting the organisation’s broader mission to empower adolescents through education and support.
“When adolescents struggle during this pivotal phase of their life, the consequences are dire,” she warned, citing risks like teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, gender-based violence, and long-term poverty. She explained that ZanaAfrica’s work, rooted in four strategic pillars, includes scaling life skills education through its Nia Learning programs, which have already reached over half a million young people.
Beatrice noted that the collaboration of ZanaAfrica with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is a potential pathway for embedding online safety into formal education.
“We see an opportunity where the learnings from this report could in future inform how we sensitize children and youth on online safety through the approved school curriculum,” she said.
Acknowledging recent legal progress, such as the Children Act of 2022 and the newly developed 2024 Standard Operating Procedures on OCSEA, Beatrice stressed that policy alone is not enough.
“Just like technology, the landscape for online abuse is constantly evolving,” she said. “We have to keep seeking answers to every new challenge that arises.”
Speaking at the launch of the report virtually, Nicholas Wells, Programs and Policies Specialist at the Tech Coalition, highlighted the critical role of global tech companies in protecting children in the digital age. Representing a coalition of 52 leading tech firms.
Wells emphasised the power of industry collaboration in addressing online threats to children.
“The Tech Coalition brings together the collective expertise of its members to strengthen each company’s ability to combat online child exploitation,” he said.
Wells spotlighted the Safe Online Research Fund, an initiative launched in partnership with Safe Online, as one of the coalition’s cornerstone efforts. T
Awareness campaigns
Some of the recommendations from the report include: creating nationwide awareness campaigns on OCSEA; building the capacity of parents and caregivers to protect children online; and developing specific laws and policies on online exploitation and abuse.
Other proposals are strengthening complaint, investigation, and justice systems and rolling out teacher training on child protection using trauma-informed approaches.
Experts have also called for further research on OCSEA, particularly focusing on the experiences of children with disabilities, especially those with intellectual disabilities, to address the existing gaps.
