Bomet launches child holding centre as teenage pregnancy rates alarm

Bomet Governor Prof. Hillary Barchok has intensified the county's push for child protection, officially commissioning a dedicated Child Holding Centre at the Bomet Police Station to serve the children who have been exploited to find justice.

The launch, held on Thursday, November 27, 2025, during the first day of the 16 Days of Activism served as a direct challenge to the Inspector Generals of Police to establish similar facilities in every police station across Kenya to make it easier to deal with the cases.

“This is a challenge to our inspector generals of police to set up such holdings like this we commissioned today at Bomet Police Station so that it can serve our children who come to the station for help,” Barchok said.

According to Barchok, the facility that will accommodate up to eight children will address a critical gap in the justice system by providing a secure and non-punitive space for vulnerable children seeking assistance from the police.

He added that some of the children who have been to the station have found a number of challenges that have made the officers use their offices and places of residence to hold them and ensure their safety.

He highlighted that the facility will ensure that victims of abuse, displacement to the children will not be mixed with adults at the police cells.

“This facility with four double deckers beds can hold up to eight children at a go and it will serve as the saver holding centre for the children who have been exploited and seeking help at our stations,” Barchok said.

He added, “Our OCS here have said that at times they are forced to use their offices to hold them when such cases are reported at their stations.”

Governor Barchok noted that Bomet County is leading in the country with the cases on GBVs and therefore, there is a need to establish such facilities and appeal to the public to end it at grassroots levels.

He said that in the last nine months of the year 2024, Bomet county recorded a total number of 4365 cases of teenage pregnancies representing 18% of the girls aged 15 – 19 years making it an alarming rate.

He added that such high numbers can be reduced if we all stand in solidarity to champion for the sexual assaults and violation of our teenage.

Barchok further expressed a hope that the Child Holding facility would rarely be needed, underscoring the success of prevention efforts.

He indicated that the centre’s true success would be measured by its low usage.

"We are not saying it will be something that will be used on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... We want to minimize those cases," he said, adding that the goal is for the holding centre to be used "probably once in a year, if need be."