Peer-reviewed article
LOCATING STATE ACTORS IN VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN (VAC) NETWORKS IN KENYA: A COMPLEXITY LEADERSHIP LENS
Jacqueline Nassimbwa, Doris Muhwezi Kakuru, Malcolm T. Mpamizo ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how government and non-government actors in Kenya work together through networks to address violence against children. Using complexity leadership theory, the researchers identified both formal government structures and informal grassroots networks involved in this work. The study found that government actors exercise influence through different functions: creating and enforcing policy, monitoring implementation, and translating grassroots ideas into national programmes. The authors recommend that Kenya's government invest more resources to strengthen these child rights networks.
Key points
- Kenya has high prevalence of violence against children despite significant government efforts
- State actors operate through both structured (formal) and unstructured (grassroots voluntary) networks
- Government influence is exercised through four key functions: political-administrative, adaptive, enabling, and dissemination
- An example of policy translation is how Childline Kenya, a grassroots organization, became the National Child Helpline
- Government needs to build greater technical and financial capacity to strengthen child rights networking
Limitations
This qualitative study does not measure the effectiveness of these networks in actually reducing violence against children or improving child safety outcomes. The study describes how networks function but cannot determine whether different network structures lead to better results for children.
Abstract
Kenya has made significant efforts to address violence against children (VAC), but its prevalence remains high. Networking of different actors has shown evidence of benefit in some sectors, but determining its effectiveness in addressing VAC has not received due scholarly attention. We conducted qualitative research, including a desk review, focus group discussions, and interviews. In this article, we apply complexity leadership theory to illuminate the types of networks involved and the influence Kenya’s government actors can exert towards eliminating VAC. We found that these actors operate through structured and unstructured networks. The latter are mainly grassroots responders who work voluntarily. The complexity leadership theory postulates that leadership influence is exercised through key functions, which are reflected in the two types of networks. The political–administrative function in Kenya is shaped by law; we show how it transforms other networks via an adaptive function. An enabling function is executed through enforcing policy, monitoring, and other methods, while a dissemination function involves the translation of ideas into policy, such as the transformation of Childline Kenya, a grassroots organization, into the National Child Helpline. We conclude that government should strengthen child rights networking by building more technical and financial capacity for this role.