NAIROBI, Kenya — The Nairobi City County Government (NCCG), in partnership with social enterprise Kidogo Early Years (KEYs), has launched a far-reaching strategic blueprint to overhaul the childcare landscape across the capital. The initiative aims to establish a robust policy and regulatory framework that will anchor quality, professional, and sustainable childcare services within Nairobi’s broader social and economic development agenda.
Speaking during the launch, Judy Macharia, Head of Community Health Services at Nairobi City County, said the initiative represents “a crucial step toward institutionalizing quality and sustainable Early Childhood Development within Nairobi’s broader agenda.”
Macharia reaffirmed Governor Johnson Sakaja’s commitment to child welfare, noting that his administration continues to prioritize early years support.
“Governor Sakaja continues to deeply invest in children. Beyond programs 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,” she said. “Our children are our future, and we are committed to developing policies and frameworks that support their welfare across the county.”
A key highlight of the event was the presentation of findings from the Childcare Mapping Pilot, jointly conducted by Kidogo Early Years and the County’s Departments of Education and Health. The pilot uncovered more than 4,000 daycare centers operating across Nairobi — many in informal settings — underscoring both the scale and untapped potential of the city’s childcare sector.
Elaine Wacuka, Head of Policy and Partnership at Kidogo Early Years, underscored the transformative value of the new 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,” Wacuka said. “Together with Nairobi County, we developed the Childcare Mapping Tool — a data-driven initiative to help make the invisible visible. For the first time, the County can visualize where childcare is happening, identify underserved neighborhoods, and understand what support providers need to improve service quality.”
The mapping exercise leveraged the deep community presence of CHPs, whose feedback helped refine the tool to ensure it remains both practical and policy-relevant.
Stakeholders at the forum emphasized that childcare must be viewed as a shared societal responsibility, requiring coordination among government, the private sector, and communities. The proposed policy framework envisions a cohesive system in which government provides leadership and sets quality standards, while philanthropy and the private sector drive innovation, infrastructure, and quality improvements. At the same time, parents and communities will be empowered with information and a voice in shaping childcare services that affect them.
Complementing this initiative, the County’s Education Department, represented by Ruth Owuor, Director of Education, revealed that a draft of the Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Regulations (2025) has been developed. The regulations will operationalize the Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Act (2017), ensuring that childcare services are accessible, professionally managed, and held to consistent quality standards.
According to Martina Adega, Policy and Partnership Consultant at Kidogo Early Years, the next three years will focus on capacity building for childcare providers through the Nurturing Care Framework, which promotes holistic child development — encompassing health, nutrition, safety, early learning, and responsive caregiving.
“During the pilot, Community Health Promoters mapped 174 childcare centers across Utawala, Upper and Lower Savannah, Mihango, Embakasi, Utalii, Mathare North, Lucky Summer, Korogocho, and Baba Dogo,” Adega explained. “This gives Nairobi its first detailed, hyper-local snapshot of existing childcare provision and practices, offering actionable data for evidence-based planning and targeted interventions.”
The partnership between Nairobi County and Kidogo Early Years marks a historic milestone in building a structured, data-driven childcare ecosystem. It represents a decisive shift from fragmented, ad-hoc interventions to a coordinated and inclusive system that prioritizes equity, quality, and sustainability — especially for children aged 0 to 4 in low-income communities.
As Nairobi positions itself as a model for urban childcare reform in Africa, this initiative signals a new era of collaboration — one where every child, regardless of background, can access safe, nurturing, and quality early years care.
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