Adoption is becoming popular in Kenya as more people continue to open up their hearts and their homes to children who don’t have them. However, the process is not much understood by the general public, causing many to be duped by rogue individuals with the pretense of giving them a child. As such, here are the steps to follow to adopt a child in Kenya.
Initiating the process
Adoption process initiated by adoption agency or society
Adoption application
Vetting
Bonding
Court Order
According to the Children’s Act, 2022, and the Children (Adoption) Regulations 2005, all adoption processes are initiated by adoption agencies/ societies. There are five adoption agencies recognized by the Kenyan government, including Change Trust Adoption Society; Little Angels Network; Kenyans for Kenyans Peace Initiative (KKPI); Buckner Kenya Adoption Services; and Kenya Children’s Homes.
At the adoption societies, individuals are taken through the application process which includes filling out application forms and presenting legal documents (including marriage certificate, birth certificates of biological children – if any, financial documents, and passport-size photographs.) Here, applicants specify the age and sex of the child they wish to adopt. Thereafter the application is presented before an adoption committee at the agency, which then vets the application and if found suitable, approves the application.
Once an application has been approved, the agency must identify a child that is declared free for adoption, for purposes of matching the said child to the applicants. It should be noted that applicants themselves do not choose a child, rather it is the agency that matches them with a child who bears a certificate declaring him/ her free for adoption.
After a child is identified, the applicants are allowed to visit him/her in the Charitable Children’s Institution - CCI (commonly known as children’s homes/orphanages) where they get to bond with the child for one week or less. After the initial bonding, the applicants are allowed to take the child home for a mandatory bonding period of three months.
Upon a successful 3-month bonding period, an adoption application is filed before the High Court of Kenya. The court appoints a legal guardian and a guardian ad litem and issues an order instructing the Director of Children's Services and the guardian ad litem to conduct home visits and file reports. Once all necessary reports are presented to the court, the judge then gives a judgment on the adoption, thus issuing an adoption order.
An adoption order is used to acquire an adoption certificate which ensures that the child is registered in the adoption register. After acquiring the adoption certificate, the parents can now apply for a birth certificate from the office of the civil registrar, in which they are allowed to change the name of the child and give him/her a completely new name, hence a new identity. With that, the adoption process is complete.
Adoption of children in Kenya has been simplified to give all children an equal chance to belong to a family and to allow couples to become parents. Every child deserves a home and it is up to us to provide safe and nurturing families to impact them positively.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be used as legal advice. If you seek legal assistance kindly reach out to a practicing advocate with a valid license.
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