Chief vows to continue fighting retrogressive cultural practices

A chief in Kilifi County has vowed to eradicate harmful traditional practices that have derailed development in the region.

Mr Stephen Thethe’s dedication to end child marriage, unwanted pregnancies and the killing of the elderly saw him recognised by President Uhuru Kenyatta in December 2019.

He was also praised due to his efforts to look for investors and drill boreholes for drought-stricken residents in Goshi, Ganze.

He was recognised as being among the best performing chiefs in the country and feted during the Public Service Excellence Awards in Nairobi.

EDUCATION

On Saturday, the chief said all girls are entitled to education.

“I am happy because the recognition gave me more courage to continue serving my people, giving them hope amid difficulties,” Mr Thethe said.

“I launched a community participation programme, where we look for girls who dropped out of school to get married, and bring them back to class. I have also done a lot of community mobilisation to end elderly killings because they have been a recipe for underdevelopment,” he said.

SUPPORT

The 36-year-old father received the award at a ceremony organised by the Public Service Commission to commemorate public servants who have recorded exemplary performance.

He dedicated his award to the people of Goshi and the entire Ganze constituency for their efforts to live peacefully despite the myriad of challenges they have to endure on a daily basis.

“Ganze and Goshin have problems but the people's keenness to address these challenges is overwhelming. They have stood by me,” he said.

“Cases of elderly killings have reduced this year. Furthermore, girls now get education even after giving birth. This is what we want to see embraced by our people, today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” added the chief.

GOOD LEADER

n a tweet, Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire congratulated the chief for the award, saying it was a demonstration of good leadership.

“On behalf of the great people of Ganze Constituency, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Thethe for winning a lucrative award – Citizen-focused service delivery – for the distinguished services he has been offering since he landed his job.”

“It is indeed commendable when we see administrators offering selfless services to the public.”