The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed a troubling trend in global estimates of child labour where it has increased for the first
time in 20 years from 152 million in 2016 to 160 million in 2020.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 8.5 per cent of Kenya’s children (1.3 million) are in child labour especially in
the agricultural sector.
It is for this reason that Kisii County has unveiled a Child labour committee to spearhead activities geared towards ending child labour in critical value chains in the Coffee and tea sectors in the area.
This move is in line with ILO strategy dubbed Accelerating action for elimination of child labour in supply chains in Africa (ACCEL Africa).
Education stakeholders in Thika have proposed to have area day schools learn in shifts to avert crowding challenges that has been occasioned by the 100 per cent transition.
Led by Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a, they said most of the secondary schools in the area have more than 1,000 learners, with day schools feeling the most heat due to the area’s lack of enough schools and high population.
They proposed that the first group of pupils attend school from morning till Midday, while the second lot comes in from Midday till late afternoon.
This, she said, will ensure that all learners are given close supervision by teachers and that they have a conducive learning environment to perform well.
Speaking during a prize giving day at Chania Girls Secondary School for exemplary performance in last year’s Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE), the MP said teachers in the area have also been overwhelmed by the huge number of learners.
The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has organised various sensitisation forums in Kirinyaga following the unfortunate event of an illicit brew that killed over 20 people.
Led by NACADA Central Region manager Amos Warui they conducted an open forum in Kirinyaga West Sub-County, Mwea Constituency, themed “Positive Parenting” targeting the residents since the incident affected different age groups, the youngest being 35 years and the oldest being over seventy years.
Mr Warui said the forum is one of the various interventions they are putting in place in the community because parents have a major role to play in the society’s development.
“Majority of those passed on were parents and we have to remind them they have responsibilities and roles to play in the eradication of brews and drug substances,” Warui said.
The Coast Association for Persons with Disabilities Executive Director Hamisa Zaja has jetted off to Washington DC, United States of America (USA), to receive an international award for her exemplary peace-building works.
Hamisa Zaja is among four women in the world nominated for the Women Building Peace Award 2023 by the US Institute of Peace (USIP) for her work in empowering youth, women and persons living with disability.
USIP is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress working with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict.
According to the institute’s website, it works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. It links research, policy, training, analysis and direct action to support champions of peace in the world.
The award is yearly to a woman peacebuilder who has made a major contribution to preventing conflict, combatting violence and building peace in her country.
Parents and caregivers in Manguo sub-location in the outskirts of Nyahururu town have been trained and sensitised on the rights of children by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).
This has been necessitated by the increased cases of child abuse and neglect in the informal settlement according to the KNCHR Central Regional Office Coordinator Ruth Getobai.
She called for concerted efforts to fight child abuse while at the same time urging parents to vigilant and protect their children from falling prey to sexual predators.
At least 11 cases of child abuse and neglect have been reported this year alone in the area.
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