Kenya Imposes New Adoption Fees
Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore released new guidelines on Tuesday for adopting children in Kenya.
The draft of the Draft Children (Adoption) Regulations, 2024, established that the fee for processing a local adoption is set at Ksh30,000, and adoption certificates will be issued for Ksh500.
The regulations specified that the application process for adoption will be free of charge.
However, the government intends to prevent newly married couples from adopting children. According to the proposed regulations, couples applying jointly must have been married for over three years.
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Moreover, Kenyans adopting children must provide police clearance certificates that are no more than six months old at the time of application.
Prospective adoptive parents will also be required to undergo counseling before being approved for adoption.
These requirements are designed to protect children.
The new regulations also include a provision for a trial period where the child is placed in the home to assess suitability.
“An adopted child has full inheritance rights. Under current Kenyan law related to marriage, you, your children (if any), and the adopted child will be considered within the prohibited degree of consanguinity and therefore cannot marry each other.
“The child may have experienced trauma and will need a nurturing and secure family environment. The child has the right to know they are adopted and to learn about their origin as soon as they can understand,” the regulations stated.
The Application Process is Detailed Below;
- You must fill out an adoption form, which must include a police clearance certificate and the specified fee.
- Other necessary documents as required by the adoption society should also be included.
- Upon receiving an application, the adoption society will prepare a child case record.
- Applicants will be referred for counseling by a qualified counselor.
- The adoption society will then conduct a home assessment.
- Pre-placement counseling will be conducted for approved applications.
Kenya Imposes New Adoption Fees
