Nairobi kids set to benefit as county unveils new childcare system

The Nairobi City County Government (NCCG), in a strategic partnership with social enterprise Kidogo Early Years (KEYs), unveiled the blueprint for transforming childcare in the city.

The initiative centres on the co-creation of a robust new childcare policy and regulatory framework.

​"This initiative marks a crucial step toward institutionalising quality, sustainable Early Childhood Development (ECD) within Nairobi’s broader agenda," said Judy Macharia, Head of Community Health Services, Nairobi City County.

​Ms. Macharia affirmed Governor Sakaja Johnson's administration's commitment. "Governor Sakaja continues to deeply invest in children.

Beyond programmes like ‘Dishi na County,’ where children are fed daily, we have secured funding to train healthcare workers and our 7,820 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) on nurturing care and the Care for Child Development approach," Ms. Macharia stated.

"Our children are our future, and we are committed to developing policies and frameworks that support their welfare across the County."

​A major focus of the forum was the successful Childcare Mapping Pilot soft launch, led jointly by Kidogo Early Years and County departments (Education and Health).

The pilot confirmed there are over 4,000 day care centres across Nairobi, highlighting the scale of existing, yet often informal, services.

​Ms. Elaine Wacuka, Head of Policy & Partnership for Kidogo Early Years, stressed the transformative power of this data.

"For too long, informal childcare providers have been the silent backbone of working families, yet they’ve remained largely unseen in data and planning. Together with our partner Nairobi County, we have developed the Childcare Mapping Tool—a data-driven initiative to help us make the invisible visible,"

Wacuka said. "For the first time, the County can visualize where childcare is happening, identify underserved neighbourhoods, and, most importantly, understand what support providers need to improve the quality of service offering."

​The initiative leverages the deep community presence of CHPs, whose feedback helped refine the tool to ensure it works for both policymakers and practitioners on the ground.

​The forum emphasised that childcare is a shared responsibility, requiring coordinated action from all sectors.

The policy framework seeks to build a cohesive system where: Government provides leadership, sets quality standards, and expands financial support;

​Philanthropy and Private Sector invest in innovation, quality improvement, and infrastructure; and Communities and Parents have access to information and a voice in shaping services.

​To complement this mapping initiative, the County's Education Department, represented by Ruth Owuor, Director of Education, has also worked on a draft Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Regulations towards improving childcare services in Nairobi.

​The draft Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Regulations (2025) will aim to streamline childcare services in Nairobi and operationalise the Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Act (2017).

​Martina Adega, Policy and Partnership Consultant for Kidogo Early Years, confirmed the programme will be implemented over the next three years, focusing on supporting identified childcare providers with capacity building on the nurturing care framework (health, good nutrition, safety & security, opportunities for early learning, responsive caregiving).

​"During the pilot, Community Health Promoters (CHPs) successfully mapped 174 childcare centres across Utawala, Upper and Lower Savannah, Mihango, Embakasi, Utalii, Mathare North, Lucky Summer, Korogocho, and Baba Dogo.

This provides Nairobi with its first detailed, hyper-local snapshot of existing childcare provision, opportunity, and current practice, offering actionable data for evidence-based planning and interventions."

​This collaboration demonstrates a strategic, government-led approach to embedding sustainable solutions that benefit generations of children and caregivers in Nairobi.

It represents a shift from fragmented interventions to a coordinated, government-led system that prioritises equity, quality, and sustainability for children aged 0–4 in the county’s low-income communities.