Child Fostering in Nairobi and Kampala, a Reflection of the Social Evolutions in East Africa

Pierre SCHLEGEL , INED

Child fostering—the arrangement in which children live separately from their parents—is a widespread social practice across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its prevalence varies within East Africa, ranging from about 16.4% in Kenya to 35.5% in Uganda. Far from being an unchanging tradition, child fostering interacts dynamically with the economic, social, and political contexts of the societies in which it is practiced. These arrangements serve diverse parental objectives and needs, and their characteristics evolve as broader social changes reshape family norms and living conditions. Studying child fostering thus offers a valuable lens through which to trace social transformation. This communication compares the characteristics and evolution of child fostering in the metropolitan areas of Nairobi and Kampala. It draws on the FAMILEA datasets—two representative surveys collected in July and August 2024—to examine both past and current fostering practices. The datasets are stratified by age and sex, comprising three equal groups of respondents aged 18–34, 35–49, and 50–64. Their structure allows for a generational analysis of respondents’ fostering experiences and of current practices, including both children hosted and children fostered away. This generational analysis will be complemented with an examination of respondents’ current child fostering practices, both as biological parents and as foster caregivers. By comparing these two cities, the study highlights the convergences and divergences that characterize child fostering in Kenya and Uganda. This comparative approach contributes to a better understanding of how fostering practices evolve alongside social change, and how they reflect shifting family arrangements and caregiving responsibilities in rapidly transforming urban contexts.

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 Presented in Session P8. Demographic Trends, History, Data and Methods