The Interior CS pointed out that at that age, children need to be in school and emphasized the need for parents and teachers alike to instil positive values in them/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 7 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has vowed that the government will not lower the consensual age for sex from 18 to 16 years.
Speaking at the Pangani Girls High School during a prize giving ceremony, Matiangi urged Kenyans to instead focus on topics which will build the country’s youth.
“There are choices we have to make and there are decisions we have to make. Justice Njoki Ndung’u I want to assure you we can never be mad enough to support that kind of madness of lowering the consent age. There are some issues that people engage in that you can never understand. We will not allow that,” said Matiangi in response to a plea by Justice Ndung’u not to lower the age.
The Interior CS pointed out that at that age, children need to be in school and emphasized the need for parents and teachers alike to instil positive values in them.
“How can we be debating about endangering the lives of our children in that kind of manner. I want to ask our parents, teachers and my colleagues in the security sector, time is here now for us to build a united nation where we deal with some of the challenges affecting our young people,” Matiangi urged.
“I am glad you are here today Mr CS. The debate that consensual age for our children to engage in sex should be lowered to 16 is unacceptable and it is a threat to the life and education of our girls. I am appealing to you to never accept such. Our girls and young boys need to be in school to focus on their lives and future. Please do something to ensure such debates do not prosper ” Justice Ndung’u requested.
The topic elicited a lot of reaction from Kenyans after a proposal by the Court of Appeal to lower the age of consent from 18 to 16 years.
Three judges, while reversing a 15-year-sentence of a man who impregnated a 17-year-old girl, ruled that it was high time the country considered a revision of the Sexual Offences Act.
