NAIROBI, Kenya — The Nairobi County Government has embarked on a citywide review and mapping of daycare centres to strengthen early childhood services and improve standards across the capital.
The initiative, unveiled on Saturday, November 1, 2025, is being implemented in partnership with Kidogo Early Years (KEYs), a social enterprise that focuses on quality childcare solutions.
According to the county, the mapping exercise will help identify where childcare centres operate, reveal underserved neighbourhoods, and inform a new policy framework for better supervision, resource allocation, and support.
“This initiative marks a crucial step towards institutionalising quality, sustainable Early Childhood Development in Nairobi’s broader agenda,” said Judy Macharia, the county’s Head of Community Health Services.
Macharia said the programme will formalise a sector that has often functioned without oversight, while enhancing the welfare of children across the county.
She added that the administration of Governor Johnson Sakaja is investing heavily in child welfare programmes, citing the Dishi na County school feeding initiative and new training schemes for healthcare workers and 7,820 Community Health Promoters on nurturing care and early development.
“Our children are our future, and we are committed to developing policies and frameworks that support their welfare across the county,” Macharia said.
4,000 Informal Daycares Identified
A key outcome of the project’s soft launch — the Childcare Mapping Pilot — has already identified more than 4,000 daycare centres operating in Nairobi, many of them informal and previously unregistered.
Elaine Wacuka, Head of Policy at Kidogo Early Years, said the data-driven approach is giving visibility to a long-overlooked part of Nairobi’s social infrastructure.
“For too long, informal childcare providers have been the silent backbone of working families, yet they’ve remained largely unseen in data and planning,” she said.
“For the first time, the county can visualise where childcare is happening, identify underserved neighbourhoods, and understand what support providers need to improve quality.”
Community Health Promoters have played a key role in refining the Childcare Mapping Tool, ensuring it responds to the needs of both service providers and policymakers.
New Rules to Enforce Standards
The initiative comes as the county’s Education Department finalises the Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Regulations (2025) — a set of rules meant to operationalise the Child Care Facilities Act (2017) and enforce uniform standards for safety, staffing, and quality.
Officials said the emerging framework will position childcare as a shared responsibility among government, private sector, philanthropic organisations, and communities.
“It’s about creating an ecosystem where every child in Nairobi has access to safe, nurturing, and affordable care,” Wacuka said.
The mapping project and upcoming regulations are expected to guide investment and innovation in Nairobi’s growing early childhood sector, supporting working parents and improving child development outcomes.
