Kenya’s 47 County Governments are taking a decisive step to reshape the future of Early Childhood Development (ECD), with the Council of Governors (CoG) spearheading the documentation of a groundbreaking Compendium of Best Practices that could redefine how young children are nurtured across the country.
Established under the Intergovernmental Relations Act (2012), the Council of Governors plays a central role in strengthening devolution by promoting knowledge exchange, performance management, and collaboration among counties. Through its knowledge hub, the Maarifa Centre, the CoG is now consolidating successful county-led innovations in Early Childhood Development into a comprehensive national resource.
Since the 2010 Constitution devolved pre-primary education and childcare services to county governments, counties have been tasked with ensuring holistic child development. But while numerous innovative programs have emerged, there has been no structured platform to systematically capture, share, and replicate these success stories—until now.
Backed by the Conrad Hilton Foundation, the new compendium will document best practices, lessons learned, and strategic priorities from ten select counties. The initiative is anchored on the globally recognized Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), which emphasizes five pillars critical to child development: Good Health, Adequate Nutrition, Safety and Security, Responsive Caregiving, and Opportunities for Early Learning.
Counties are increasingly moving away from fragmented interventions toward integrated, ecosystem-based approaches that address these pillars simultaneously. This shift is crucial, particularly as Kenyan children continue to face intersecting challenges including malnutrition, disease burden, unsafe environments, economic instability, climate shocks, and limited caregiver support.
The documentation process will involve field visits, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, site observations in ECD centres and health facilities, as well as policy and budget reviews. Beneficiary voices—including caregivers and community members—will be captured to ensure the compendium reflects lived experiences alongside policy frameworks.
The second documentation cluster scheduled for February 16–20, 2026, will spotlight Adequate Nutrition in Siaya, Early Learning in Kakamega, ECD Financing in Vihiga, Policy and Legislative Frameworks in Homa Bay, and Partnerships and Collaboration in Kisumu.
The expected outcome? A published and digitally accessible compendium hosted on the Maarifa Centre platform, designed to accelerate cross-county learning, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, and enhance policy advocacy for sustained ECD investment.
As counties sharpen their focus on integrated nurturing care, Kenya could be on the brink of a transformative shift—one that ensures every child not only survives, but thrives.
