A lobby group has raised concern over the use of alcoholic drinks among the school going children in the country.
The group decried that they have noted that, the vice is on the rise in Ndeiya ward in Kiambu county and that urgent action is needed.
The Voice of Men and Children Network (Vomec) group attributed the rising numbers of adolescent taking alcohol and other substances due to dropping out of schools.
Vomec national chairman Bishop James Njenga says poverty has seen so many students dropping out of schools, with the students starting to engage themselves with bad vices while in the villages.
He said poverty has also led to many parents loosing hope and thus neglecting their role of parenting and instilling discipline to their children, ending up with the children engaging in bad friendships.
He added that, they are also learning about smoking of cigarettes, bhang and other hard drugs from the young bad friends in the village, something the lobby group wants addressed.
“We have seen young boys, of school age, being sent to buy alcohol at homes and bars where it is being sold at any time. In the process, these boys start tasting it and after sometimes, they are drinking. Issues are not good at all” the chairman said.
The Vomec chairman who reveals that they work hand in hand with other human rights groups, adds that they had written a protest letter Ndeiya Deputy County Commissioner, Kiambu county commissioner demanding the elimination drug and alcohol abuse in the area.
They also requested the national government administration and the county government to work hand in hand and revoke all licenses issued to people who prepared traditional brew “muratina” saying that they are so many and issue the same to a few.
“Once all these licenses are revoked, then the government should open for them a issue to a few. Today, even if we do not have an exact number, they are so many and when they are so many, a lot of bad issues happens” the cleric said.
Speaking at Classic Hotel in Ndeiya, Bishop Njenga said raised concern over a big number of students who have failed to join grade 10 for lack of school fees in the area, adding that they risk joining bad companies.
“Some of the students who finished grade 9 scored good marks and have received admissions for competitive schools. Infact, we have been discussing with other friends on how we can conduct fund raising to support school fees for all these children” he said.
Vomec secretary Josephat Njagi asked President William Ruto to ensure his government releases the capitation funds are released to schools early enough so as to ensure the institution have planned well their budgets.
Njagi said a lot of men are facing rough times since they cannot be able to pay school fees for their children, saying it is only the government that can save them.
Njagi added that, deaths, suicides and depressions are being reported, attributing their source as stress that parents and more so the men are undergoing when they think how their children will go to school.
“When men are not well financially, they are stressed by family issues and are ending up in being stressed” he said.
Moreover, Njagi asked the government to consolidate all bursaries into one fund and be distributed well to the needy in the society.
He proposed that the CDF bursary, county government bursary and the Presidential bursary be consolidated and be distributed by education officers of each sub county.
He said a committee comprising of a head teachers, board of management chairperson’s, chiefs and a few parents be created since they will know which parents are in dire need of assistance.
He said that they are consulting their lobby group’s lawyers so as to advise them on how to start lobbying people to support such a bill since it will ensure equity.
