Abstract
The situation of missing children is one of the most emotional social issues worldwide. Children go missing throughout the
world as a result of human trafficking, organised crime, labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, illicit adoption among
other reasons. The main objective of this study was to establish the social determinants that influence vulnerability of
missing children in Nairobi Children’s Remand Home, Kenya. The study was anchored on the ecological systems theory by
Bronfenbrenuer. This study used the concurrent mixed methods approach where both quantitative and qualitative data
was collected, specifically adopting descriptive designs. The target populations were children officers, parents of missing
children, missing children, and police officers. The sample size was 61 children sampled using the census sampling technique.
Purposive sampling was also used to select respondents from the other categories. Data was collected using questionnaires,
FDGs and interview guides. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of
SPSS Version 22, while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Quantitative data results were presented
using charts, tables, and graphs, while qualitative data results were presented in narratives. From the study, majority
of the missing children (52.4%) were of the age of 7-12 years and majority were boys (68.7%). However, between the
ages of 13-18 majority were girls with 62.1%. The parents of the respondents were mainly single (61.1%), most lived in
informal settlements (80.4%) and were casual labourers (60.7%) with low incomes. The main reasons why the respondents
left home included child abuse (23.3%) and running away (40 %). Income generated by the missing children’s parents
or guardians was not significantly different across the different marital statuses since a p value of 0.443 was obtained,
which was more than the study p value, which was 0.05. Government protection systems for missing children were seen
to be inadequate as there were no laws, policies, and guidelines that deal with missing children. The study recommended
that the Government come up with guidelines/policies and laws for missing children, a national database for all missing
children, enhanced reporting systems for abused children, as well as economic empowerment for parents with low incomes.
Key terms | Missing Children, Informal Settlements, Government Protection Systems