Tharaka Nithi Woman Rep to sponsor teen mums back to school
Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Susan Ngugi dances with Kaanwa Mixed Day and Boarding Secondary School girls in Chuka/Igambang'ombe Constituency on June 19, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Ms Susan Ngugi said the girls should not be condemned but given a second chance where possible.
- She warned men against preying on schoolgirls and urged government administrators to be extra-vigilant and arrest and prosecute GBV perpetrators.
Tharaka Nithi Woman Representative Susan Ngugi has promised to pay fees for girls who dropped out of secondary school because of pregnancies but are willing to resume and complete basic education.
Ms Ngugi said the girls should not be condemned but given a second chance where possible. She warned men against preying on schoolgirls and urged government administrators to be extra-vigilant and arrest and prosecute perpetrators of gender-based violence.
Ms Ngugi termed it wrong for men to take advantage of girls who should be defended and supported by society to “grow into women of substance”. She spoke on Monday as she disbursed Sh3.8 million National Government Affirmative Action Fund bursaries in Igambang’ombe, maintaining the need to empower girls while not neglecting boys.
Beneficiaries in boarding schools received Sh10,000 and those in day schools got Sh5,000. “I am ready to pay school fees for needy young mothers who dropped out of secondary school after conceiving and are ready to go back to class,” said the lawmaker.
She said besides teenage pregnancies, girls from the region also face the outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriages, which ruin their lives and must be brought to an end.
FGM hotspots
Tharaka Nithi is among 22 FGM hotspots in the country, but government and nongovernmental organisations, including Tharaka Women Welfare Programme that started an alternative rite of passage campaign back in 1996, are slowly eradicating the outdated practice, which is deep-rooted.
Ms Ngugi asked the chiefs, assistant chiefs and Nyumba Kumi elders to work closely with her office to completely eradicate the problem so that girls can be on a par with boys. She warned that it is illegal for parents of GBV victims to negotiate with criminals and settle cases at home.
The legislator also noted that rampant illicit brew and drugs are threatening the lives of the boy-child, including those in school. She, however, lauded both national and county governments for launching a spirited campaign to end consumption of illicit brew and drug abuse.
“Last week, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, together with other leaders from the five counties in the Upper Eastern, launched a campaign against illicit brew and drug abuse. I am sure it will bring a solution,” she said.
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