Missing Parklands Arya Girls student yet to be found a week later

The safety and whereabouts a 15-year-old daughter, Belinda Isabu Balozi, a student at Parklands Arya Girls High School, who went missing on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in the Nairobi Central Business District under unclear circumstances remains unclear as the distraught family awaits police to review CCTV footages to recollect her last movements.

Belinda disappeared while in the company of her father, Leonard Balozi, along River Road as they were heading home after reporting back to school.

However, by yesterday, she was yet to be traced.

“I am yet to find my daughter, I pray to God that she be found safe,” her mother Florence Watetu said as she barely controlled her emotions.

The students had been asked to return to school accompanied by their parents following a recent unrest incident at the institution, only to be informed that they would report at a later date.

According to her father, the family has not heard from Belinda since she vanished and her whereabouts remain unknown.

Balozi said he reported the matter at both Central and Kamukunji police stations yesterday but was initially advised to wait for 24 hours before lodging a formal missing person’s report.

However, police recorded the case today under Occurrence Book number OB/80/17/06/2026 at the Central Police Station in Nairobi.

“We appeal to any person who has any information about our daughter to please contact the nearest police station or any government authorities or reach us through 0757386990 or 0725604038. Belinda speaks English and Swahili,” the distraught father told The Informer Media Group.

The incident comes barely a month after the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services issued a directive abolishing the long-standing requirement to wait 24 or 48 hours before reporting a missing child.

Speaking during International Missing Children’s Day commemorations on May 25, 2026, Gender Cabinet Secretary Hannah Cheptumo said parents, guardians and members of the public should report missing children immediately to the nearest police station, Children’s Services office or through Child Helpline 116.

“There is no waiting period to report a missing child. Cases should be reported immediately to the nearest police station, Children Services Office, or Child Helpline 116,” Cheptumo said.

“We have said don’t wait for 24 hours, don’t wait for 48 hours. Report immediately to the police or to the Children’s Department, whichever one comes faster.”

Under the new guidelines, all cases involving missing children must be reported simultaneously to the police and the Children’s Department to facilitate coordinated investigations involving the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit and the Ministry of Health.

Principal Secretary for Children Welfare Services Carren Ageng’o warned that officers who fail to act promptly after receiving reports would be held accountable.

“And everyone will be accountable. If it is reported to the children’s officer, we shall ensure that an O.B. is followed up because a case can only be investigated where there is an O.B.,” she said.

Government data indicates that Kenya is grappling with a growing child safety crisis.

The Child Protection Information Management System recorded 10,581 child protection cases between January 2025 and March 2026, including 1,636 missing children cases, 1,952 abductions, 6,820 abandonment cases and 173 trafficking incidents.

The Ministry of Gender estimates that the figures translate to an average of 23 children reported missing every day over the 15-month period. While authorities say 78 per cent of the reported cases have been resolved through rescue efforts and reunification with families, officials maintain that the rising numbers require urgent intervention from parents, communities and institutions.