Lamu’s Rudisha Mtoto Shule drive gets 1,000 dropouts back to school

The Rudisha Mtoto Shule campaign which was launched in Lamu County early February has managed to send back to more than 1,000 dropouts who were idling around in the county.

Lamu Deputy County Commissioner Louis Rono told the Nation on Monday that almost all school dropouts in Lamu Town, Hindi, Mpeketoni, Kizingitini, Kiunga, Mkokoni, Faza, Witu and other places have joined school.

Mr Rono said the programme has also contributed to a reduction in the number of boys engaging in coxswain business and drug use in the various islands at a tender age.

HOUSE TO HOUSE

He said for the past one month, officers have been moving from house to house in search for school dropouts and sending them back to the schools.

He said for the past one month, officers have been moving from house to house in search for school dropouts and sending them back to the schools.

He noted that before the programme was launched, children of school going age would be spotted loitering aimlessly in the streets, especially in Lamu Town’s seafront area.

“I can assure you that when you walk around our streets, whether in Lamu Island, Kizingitini or any other place of Lamu, you won’t see children loitering anymore especially during school hours. Through the Rudisha Mtoto Shule initiative, many school dropouts have been sent back to class in our region,” said Mr Rono.

Mr Rono also thanked parents in Lamu and education stakeholders for their support in ensuring children are sent back to school.

He said his office will continue hunting down and arresting any parent whose children will not be in school.

He called on parents to follow up and help shape their children’s behaviour in so that they do not become a disappointment in future.

FREEDOM

Mr Rono also urged parents to control and monitor the amount of freedom given to their children in order to keep them on the right track.

Elsewhere, parents in Lamu East have expressed concern over the increased drug use among the youth in the region.

Speaking at Pate on Sunday, they said many children in the region are now heavily dependent on hard drugs especially cocaine and bhang, besides engaging in the sale and supply of the drugs.

Mr Kassim Omar, a former councillor and elder from Pate asked the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) to come to the region and help rescue the youth from addiction.

He accused parents in the area of contributing to drug abuse among the youth.

“Parents here are too permissive. They let loose their children who are always seen loitering in the streets instead of being in class. I also feel Nacada is discriminatory. We have appealed for help so many times but there has been no reaction or response over the matter. They must know that Pate will collapse due to too much drug use if they don’t help,” said Mr Kassim.