Turkana County Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus has reaffirmed the county’s commitment to children’s protection and safety, noting that education ought to be regarded as a right to all children residing in Turkana.
Speaking during the closure of a children’s conference as the chief guest, DG Erus said Turkana supports proposals to hold children’s conferences at the sub-county level instead of starting at the county level.
Turkana Children’s Conference was organized by the Department of Children’s Services, the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar and social protection partners, where he was chief guest.
“Together with Governor Lomorukai, our focus on children and social protection is well articulated in Agenda Five on the revitalization of education. We are working with partners towards this goal,” Dr. Erus said.
He cited the staffing of ECDE centers, infrastructure improvements and the deployment of social protection officers across the county as evidence of the administration’s commitment.
“Our concern for children’s rights borrows from our earlier involvement in the peace and justice mission spearheaded by the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar. We commit to safeguarding the gains made and to further improving service delivery,” he added.
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Wilson Losike, programs convenor for the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, said the conference aims to build children’s leadership and governance capacity, enhance life skills and values, and empower them to speak out on issues affecting them.
“Children are not only the adults of tomorrow. They are also a pathway to addressing peace and justice through peace clubs, climate change mitigation through 4K clubs, and train citizens on civic participation,” Losike said.
County Children’s Officer Jared Atsiaya lauded partners for supporting the event, citing the Diocese of Lodwar, UNICEF, Save the Children, IRC, World Vision, IsraAID, FCDO, AICHM, ERIKS, the Kenya Red Cross Society and the County Government.
Atsiaya said the event was part of efforts to integrate Turkana children into the national governance structure of the children’s council.
“One of the expectations is to conduct elections. The elected leaders will form Turkana’s Children’s Council and earn the right to participate in national forums,” he said.
He also warned that offenders of children’s rights face stiff legal consequences under Kenyan law.
By Our reporter
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