The universities are the United States International University-Africa(USIU-A) and the University of Nairobi(UON).
The five-year Linda Mtoto project that starts next month March is funded by the Norwegian government through the Norwegian Pentecostal Mission at Sh200 million, where Sh50 million will go into research.
“What we want to achieve at the end of the project is a society that respects values and children so that everybody will have a place and participate in the society like any other person,” said FPFK Church General Secretary Bishop John Kitur.
Bishop Kitur, who led FPFK Church National Board members including Treasurer Rev. Adam Turere and Board Member Anne Wanjiru, spoke before signing the partnership at the USIU-Africa’s School of Humanities off Thika Road on Tuesday morning.
FPFK Church lawyer Brother Gideon Solonka oversaw the signing of the partnership process.
Left: University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor Prof. Kiama Gitahi, Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya(FPFK) Church General Secretary Bishop John Kitur and United States International University-Africa(USIU-Africa) Interim Vice Chancellor Dr Lola Odubekun at USIU-Africa on February 20, 2024 at USIU-Africa , sign documents of a project to end child trafficking, prostitution and neglect at Busia border post. Looking on is FPFK Church lawyer Gideon Solonka.
Bishop Kitur added: “We want to protect children because this is a generation that we are growing for tomorrow and protection is very important since some of them have no parents and are thus vulnerable to the above-mentioned vices.”
He said FPFK Church has over the years been involved in various initiatives, including economic empowerment and resilient livelihoods, human rights, gender and social inclusion, peacebuilding and governance and child protection are among them.
According to Dr Festus Mukoya, Head of Social Ministry at FPFK Church, the partnership will combine research and development in this project to achieve the intended goal.
“We want to have a research project that goes together with development interventions from the FPFK Church to ensure child protection and that is what the partnership is all about,” said Dr Mukoya.
He said there is a lot of sexual abuse of children and neglect due to prostitution at the Busia border.
This, he said, is because young women are giving birth to children and neglect them to continue doing prostitution with truck drivers as they wait for clearance at the border.
“On average, around 54 percent are cases related to child neglect and 22 percent on child trafficking while child labour is at 42 percent according to statistics we have,” Dr. Mukoya added.
Dr Lola Odubekun, Interim Vice Chancellor, USIU-Africa welcomed the tripartite partnership signing of the project.
“We are very pleased to host this collaborative project signing since the project aligns with our course offerings and subject matter of expertise at USIU-Africa faculty, along with the church’s activities,” said Dr Odubekun.
She added: “We are a private small, non-sectarian, private higher education institution that educates the whole person for leadership and impactful community service.”
Left: University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor Prof. Kiama Gitahi, Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya(FPFK) Church General Secretary Bishop John Kitur and United States International University-Africa(USIU-Africa) Interim Vice Chancellor Dr Lola Odubekun at USIU-Africa on February 20, 2024 at USIU-Africa , after signing documents of a project to end child trafficking, prostitution and neglect at Busia border post.
Dr Odubekun said experts have told them that the topic of child protection has a ripple effect on the community and so the university working with the community and churches like the FPFK Church is leading the way is in order.
“The university will bring its researchers, scholars, students, and faculty together with the church and community members to bring to this project scientific knowledge and practical application of what they will find to enhance children’s life and communities for the better,” she said.
The University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor Prof. Kiama Gitahi on his part said the university believes in the spirit of collaboration and partnerships to make a better place for every human being on this earth.
The project, which he said is at the heart of the university, will be under the Sociology and Social Work Department led by Prof. Ben Mutsotso.
“The church and the scholarship community (universities) are always concerned about one thing; how do we get the truth of the matter and every scholar wakes up every day thinking how he can make the world a better place than it was yesterday,” said Prof. Kiama.
“With this partnership, we hope we will go very far and we hope this project will outlast us who are here so that those who will come after us will see the value in it and extend it from Busia to other parts of the country,” he added.
He said the university’s researchers in the project will go to the ground to gather data to find out where there are gaps that need to be addressed in terms of developing new policies that can inform national and county governments to ensure children are treated better in the future.
“They will also ensure that the community at Busia identifies with the solutions proposed so that we partner with them in ending the mentioned vices,” said Prof. Kiama.
Ends.
