© Cities 4 Children
Cities4Children Kenya Alliance adopts an integrated, child-centered approach to urban development, focusing on the systems and practices that shape inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities. Currently working in several counties such as Kiambu, Muranga, Machakos, Kajiado, Homa bay, Makueni Mombasa and Nakuru.
Below are the key areas of focus that we believe provide the Alliance with strong potential for impact and meaningful results.
Cities4Children Kenya Alliance works to strengthen urban governance systems that are inclusive, participatory, accountable, and responsive to the needs of children and young people.
The Alliance supports local governments and urban actors to integrate child-responsive approaches into policies, planning, and service delivery, while promoting participatory governance mechanisms that enable children, youth, and communities to meaningfully engage in urban decision-making processes.
The Alliance promotes child-centred urban planning, design, and mobility to ensure cities are safe, accessible, and inclusive for all.
Through evidence-based planning, stakeholder collaboration, and pilot initiatives, Cities4Children Kenya Alliance advocates for public spaces, transport systems, and urban infrastructure that prioritize safety, accessibility, and well-being, particularly for children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities.
Cities4Children Kenya Alliance advances environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient urban development with a strong focus on children’s rights and intergenerational equity.
The Alliance supports climate-responsive urban policies, community-led environmental action, and youth-driven climate initiatives that address urban vulnerabilities, promote green spaces, and strengthen local capacity to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts.
The Alliance uses strategic advocacy and communication to influence policy, shift narratives, and amplify the voices of children and young people in urban development.
Through campaigns, partnerships, research dissemination, and storytelling, Cities4Children Kenya Alliance works to raise awareness, mobilize stakeholders, and promote evidence-informed dialogue that advances child-responsive urban agendas at local, national, and global levels.
Safety audits have played a crucial role in improving the daily journeys of children walking to and from school, particularly in urban and informal settlements. By assessing the safety of routes, public spaces, and infrastructure, these audits identified hazards like unsafe crossings, poor lighting, and traffic risks. The findings empowered local governments and communities to make targeted improvements, ensuring safer travel, promoting school attendance, and enhancing community participation.
Audits conducted in Murang’a, Kiambu (Ruiru and Thika), Kajiado, Machakos, and Mombasa counties led to policy changes and road redesigns that improved accessibility for vulnerable users. In Kiambu, the installation of solar street lights specifically helped students walk safely during early mornings.
These interventions have significantly increased safety and wellbeing for children across these regions.
With several counties in Kenya through collaboration frameworks that integrate child- and youth-responsive priorities into urban development. Across these counties, we have provided technical support to strengthen urban planning processes and child protection policies, aligning them with relevant SDGs and Kenya’s Vision 2030.
Growing interest from additional counties signals strong potential for scaling. This momentum has informed the development of an Integrated Coordination Platform for alliance-wide collaboration, enabling joint programming, data sharing, reporting, and coordinated policy engagement among member organizations. The platform is currently being piloted and will be launched soon.
In collaboration with ICLD sustainable futures network and Homa Bay County, Cities4Children Kenya Alliance supported the development and dissemination of child protection and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) policies, reaching over 1,000 community members. By facilitating community meetings that included nurturing care principles and actively involved children and youth in shaping these policies.
These efforts established safe spaces and support systems for survivors of SGBV and introduced child-friendly services at health facilities and within communities, as well as strengthening child protection and safeguarding across Homa Bay County, ensuring safer environments for children and young people.
With support and collaboration from ICLD, Cities4Children Kenya Alliance (C4CY–Kenya) facilitated the training of over 30 teachers and county government officials as Trainers of Trainers (ToT) to build capacity in establishing SDG Clubs in schools. These clubs empower students to actively engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fostering leadership, environmental stewardship, and community participation.
To date, more than 14 schools are at various stages of setting up SDG Clubs, reaching over 1,000 learners and their wider school communities. This initiative has strengthened collaboration between the county governments, children and youth, and the education sector, creating more opportunities for children to participate meaningfully in county matters.
SDG Clubs – A Guide for Municipalities and SchoolsIn partnership with ICLD and a team of researchers, C4CY Kenya participated in a research project centered on child rights to develop an analytical tool addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from a child’s perspective, with active involvement of children.
The project aimed to generate critical insights and context-specific understanding to refine the framework and support local governments in making informed, child-centered decisions. The vision is to drive a child-focused, inclusive transformation of the SDGs through the lens of childhood.
Child-Focused Cities [CFC]: A Paradigm for Inclusive Urban DevelopmentCities4Children Kenya Alliance (C4CY) partnered with Globe Tree through the Children’s Meeting Place (CMP) at UNEA6 Nairobi, to bring together over 30 school children.
The goal was to empower them to engage with global leaders on environmental and climate change issues. The platform enabled learning, sharing, and advocacy skill-building.
As a result, the children gained confidence and knowledge to influence environmental policies in their communities.