Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Protection Services in Igembe Central, Meru County, Kenya
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Date
2025-11
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
The topic of study is socioeconomic determinants of child protection services in Igembe central in Meru County. There have been persistently low levels of effective child protection services in Igembe Central, Meru County, Kenya, driven by socio-economic challenges such as household poverty, neglectful parenting, low parental education, and cultural practices like female genital mutilation, resulting in high rates of child maltreatment, school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, and substance abuse. According to the Kenya Violence Against Children Survey (2019), 45.9% of female and 56.1% of male children experience violence before age 18, while the Meru County Youth and Adolescents Survey (2021) highlight unreported issues like child labour and early marriages. Despite government and civil society efforts, these issues persist due to administrative laxity, lack of awareness of existing services and cultural persistence. Three research objectives guided the study. They were to examine the influence of household income levels, to analyze the influence of parenting styles and to determine the influence of cultural norms and practices on child protection services in Igembe central. Ecological Systems Theory guided the study. Descriptive research design was used, and the target population was 52086, which included a children officer, primary school headteachers, assistant chiefs, head nurse pediatric department, OCPD and household heads in Igembe Central subcounty. The sampling methods used were purposive sampling and simple random sampling where a sample of 381 was used. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data and a response rate of 70.18% was achieved. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data and descriptive statistics and regression analysis on the quantitative data. A pilot study was carried out in Igembe Central. The researcher obtained a research authorization letter from the Kenyatta University graduate school and NACOSTI. Confidentiality and Anonymity was adhered to. The findings showed that household income had a dual effect: while higher income and education supported child welfare, child labour, especially in miraa farming remained common. Parenting styles were the strongest predictor of child protection outcomes (β = 0.563, p < 0.001). Neglectful and permissive parenting exposed children to exploitation, early pregnancies, and substance abuse, whereas authoritative parenting enhanced safety and wellbeing. Cultural norms, including FGM and child marriage, persisted despite legal prohibitions, reinforced by patriarchal structures such as Njuri Ncheke, though regression results showed a weaker predictive effect (β = 0.063, p = 0.159). The study concludes that child protection services in Igembe Central are weak and under-resourced, relying heavily on NGOs and schools. It recommends stronger law enforcement, community sensitization, and parenting support programs to align local practices with child rights.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration of Kenyatta University, November 2025.
Supervisor
1. Heather E. Kipchumba