Kisii County Deputy Children’s Officer Mary Ndege has decried the high rate of teenage pregnancies in the region and attributed it to the negligence of the girls by their parents.
She said most parents shy away from discussing sex-related issues with their daughters who end up falling victim to early pregnancies as they try to experiment on their lives.
“Teenagers are adventurous by nature whose energy should be harnessed and directed to the right activities.”She said.
The officer blamed adults who took advantage of the novice youths and lured them into sexual activities then abandoned them after conception.
She asked the government to strengthen the law and give heavy imprisonment punishment to the suspects.
Speaking at Kisii town, Mrs. Ndege asked parents to take time with their teenage children and guide them on important family life matters instead of leaving them to teachers only.
She blamed some parents who take a lot of time in their office work and farms with the aim of improving the life standards of their families without knowing that the best investment lies in the imparting of moral knowledge to their children.
“When you instill moral values in your children you are richer than a man with a lot of money in the bank.”She said.
The officer revealed that her office has partnered with the Ministry of Health to establish youth-friendly centers to guide the youth to live a constructive life.
Ndege further said that the centers will be spread across the county and named Magena, Nyamarambe, Marani, and Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital as the main places where the youths can get help.
She appealed to the churches and other community workers to visit the centers to enable them to know the services offered there and direct the youths to get them.
She thanked the Nyumba Kumi groups in the county for their well-coordinated effort to correct the wayward youth by fishing them out of the drinking dens.
However, she appealed to the government to provide some diplomatic training to enable them to handle the youth well instead of being extra punitive, a practice that she said leads to the youth being militant.
By Enock Okong’o.
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