 |
| Mombasa County Commissioner Evans Achoki flagging off a chidren procession at the treasury square Mombasa on Thursday to mark the Day of the African Child |
BY
PETER KOMBE
Mombasa County Commissioner Evans Achoki has vowed
to take a stern action to parents who fail to take their children to school
saying they will face the wrath of the law.
He says education being a basic right should not be
taken for granted insisting that those rights should be protected at all times.
Speaking to the media in Mombasa on Thursday during
the day of the African child the commissioner said parents will be held
responsible for pupils who do not go to school.
“As custodians of these children we must ensure that
we protect and uphold their rights. As a government we give them a priority and
we are working day in day out to ensure that their rights are upheld,” he noted
Achoki says the government is closely working with different
stakeholders to ensure that children access better education.
He says the government is committed to ensure that
the rights of the child are protected taking into consideration the fact that
the government is offers free primary education.
“The government has is offering free primary
education and these children are the beneficiaries of that. Any parent who will
not take his/her kids to school will face a full force of the law,” the CC
said.
Changamwe legislator Omar Mwinyi urged parents to
invest in education saying children are a gift from God.
According to him there is need for every stakeholder
to join hands in order to address children issues in Mombasa County.
“We need to consider as parents. Let’s all ensure
that we address challenges facing these kids,” the legislator outlined
The Member of Parliament further noted that there is
need for the county government to recruit qualified early childhood education
(ECD) teachers.
He blamed parents especially fathers saying they do
not spare moments with their children but ever busy.
“Let’s first understand the environment within which
our teachers work. The best teachers should be recruited to teach our
children,” he said.
The MP says there is need for parents to stay close
with their children to ensure that they instil the best characters to them.
On the issue of whether alcohol is illegal or not
the lawmaker says there is need for the national government to come out clear
with the issue of alcohol.
“Some of our parents are so busy. I think it is high
time that parents significantly play their roles,” he noted.
According to him many Kenyans do not understand
whether it is legalized or not.
Mombasa county children coordinator Philip Nzenge
urged parents to prioritize on humanitarian action to children.
According to him there is need for all stakeholders
to work together in order to address some of the challenges teething challenges
facing children in the entire county.
“We should look at how we shall address some of the
problems that face children. How has the government strategized on that? We
need a joint approach on this,” he said.
He insists that the government should lay down
appropriate policies that will enable children enjoy their basic rights.
On her part, Shillah Mugambi a lawyer from Coast Mediation
Centre a mediation organisation says children play a crucial role in the family
insisting that their rights must be upheld.
She further appealed for an extensive awareness on
mediation as an alternative dispute resolution saying by embracing mediation
parents will be fully involved in upbringing their children hence mitigate the
high levels of child neglect in the Coast region.
“Children are a key pillar in the family and should
therefore be taken care of and their rights protected,” she explained.
She says CMC works closely with all the stakeholders
to ensure that the rights of the child are upheld.
Richard Amwai, a student from St Charles Luanga in Changamwe
Sub County says the transfer of the Kibarani dumpsite to Mwakirunge has negatively
impacted the locals.
He petitioned the county government to find a
lasting solution to the dumpsite instead of what they did ‘transferring the
Kibarani dumpsite to Mwakirunge.
“The problem has even worsened. Something should be
done,” he said
She says some of
the problems facing not only children in Mwakirunge but the entire county include among others industrial pollution, dengue fever, Chikungunya and malaria.
The theme of this year Day of African child is “Humanitarian Action in Africa: Chidren’s
Rights First.
 |
| Children before the procession at treasury square Mombasa on Thursday |
Comments
Post a Comment