By Enock Okong’o
Nyamira county Commissioner Mr. Amos Mariba has directed all police officers, chiefs and their assistants to mount an aggressive hunt for adults who lure school girls into love affairs.
Speaking to the public in Uhuru Gardens in Nyamira County, Mariba said that the act is a violation of children’s rights and also causes delay to their access to education.
Mr Mariba decried the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies in the county.
‘This vice on the girl child should be dealt with ruthlessly,’ he said.
The officer appealed to human rights activists, churches and other social community workers to intensify advisory services to the community by sensitizing them on the importance of safeguarding the life of the girl child.
He asked the youth to shun premarital sex or use condoms whenever they indulge in sex in order to avoid any sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS.
‘You can engage in constructive activities like study groups, village community work and church choirs so that your time is spent well,’ he urged youths.
According to Nyamira Teaching and Referral Hospital CEO Dr. Silas Ayunga, the number of teenage pregnancies in the county stands at 4800.
He attributed this big number to influence from the media, adults who lure girls into premarital sex and lack of parental guidance and counseling.
‘Excessive drinking of illicit beer and use of drugs also contribute to unwanted pregnancies,’ he said.
He disclosed that annually, the hospital records 150 rape cases caused by drunk parents or close relatives who abuse innocent girls.
‘We have had cases of school girls who have been assaulted by their fathers. We advise them to report the cases to the police after we have treated them,’ he said.
Reiterating the old adage that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, Dr Ayunga asked parents and teachers to guide their children and beware of the type of friends their children engage with.
