The House of Parliament discussed the Children (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in today’s plenary. This bill aims to dissolve the National Children Authority and integrate its functions into the Ministry responsible for children’s affairs. This proposal comes from a report by the Committee on Gender, presented by Honorable Charles Bakkabulindi.
According to the committee’s report, dissolving the National Children Authority could create a gap in monitoring and supervising the implementation of policies for safeguarding children. Despite this potential gap, the committee suggests the necessity of establishing an independent body to protect children’s rights, even if the National Children Authority is dissolved.
Honorable Herbert Kinobere from Kibuku County supports transferring the National Children Authority’s functions to the Ministry of Gender. He argues that the Authority has been operating without a board or adequate finances, so such a transfer wouldn’t cause harm.
Parliament has now passed the bill to dissolve the National Children Authority. Its functions will be absorbed by the Department of Children Affairs within the Ministry of Labour, Gender, and Social Development. The rationale behind this decision is to eliminate duplicated roles and reduce the wastage of public funds.
In addition to the Children (Amendment) Bill, Parliament is also considering the National Women Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the National Youth Council (Amendment) Bill, 2024. These bills signify broader legislative efforts aimed at restructuring various governmental bodies for better efficiency and effectiveness.
