Boy child under threat as more in central Kenya drop out of school

A Member of Parliament from Nyeri County has expressed fears that the boy child is under threat in central Kenya.

Kieni MP Kanini Kega said there was a worrying trend especially in Kieni where boys are dropping out of school as soon as they reach standard six.

Speaking in Kieni Thursday, the MP noted that the ratio of boys to girls in lower classes is almost equal but the number of boys drastically drops starting from the third term of class five.

“I have witnessed a case in Micwiri Primary School where I only found seven boys in standard eight which is a class of 34 pupils and this is truly worrying.

We are yet to establish where they are going after dropping out.

The national government should come in and help us investigate this situation for it is not actually the girl child under threat but the boy child especially in central Kenya,” Mr Kega said.

TASKFORCE

The MP said a taskforce will be formed and commissioned in a fortnight to get to the root of this worrying trend.

He also cited a common trend, especially among boys of tender ages, of taking up casual labour at the expense of their education.

The MP termed the trend as shocking with fears that there could be a high possibility of the same boys soon turning to organised crime in the area.

He said he will embark on the task of creating community awareness that child labour is illegal and parents together with those employing under-age children will face the law.

“This is a serious issue that we need to approach in a multi-sectorial way and I know at the end of the day we will get a solution and save the society from impending dangers like crime and violence," he added.

According to the chairman of Micwiri Primary School Wilson Mwangi Nderi, boys drop out due to the availability of ready jobs.

He cited the Micwiri Irrigation Scheme as one of the places where the boys work.

“They go working on potato and carrot farms and after harvesting they get Sh200 a bag and in a day they end up earning about Sh1,000.

Others then indulge in illegal activities like drinking illicit brews and chewing miraa which is in plenty in this area.

They do this at the expense of acquiring basic education,” Mr Nderi said.

CIRCUMCISION CONTRIBUTING

The chairman also cited circumcision at an early age as another reason that is contributing to the high dropout rate among boys.

“According to the Ameru and Kikuyu cultures, once a boy undergoes the cut, he is not allowed whatsoever to share a latrine, among other facilities, with the uncircumcised ones.

Some of the drop-outs who have sought to enrol back have always demanded for their own toilets and even demand for their own desks in class as they do not want to mingle with the un-cut,” Mr Nderi revealed adding that such demands cannot be met.

He noted that parents are mostly to blame as they do not follow up on their children after they leave school.

“Parents have abandoned their responsibility of keeping their boys in school and instead let them work in farms in the villages for pay.

Many of them are happy that the burden of paying secondary school fees has been off-loaded from them when the boys drop out of school before they finish their primary school education,” Mr Nderi said.