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{
    "id": 1272612,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1272612/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 67,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kirinyaga County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Njeri Maina",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I see a number of Members would have liked to contribute. Unfortunately, I also want to highlight issues that were raised when other Members made their contributions. I want to thank all the Members who took their time to make very meaningful contributions. This Motion was brought forth because of a programme we ran in Kirinyaga County dubbed the ‘Triple Threat Action’’. It was speaking to children in schools on matters to do with mental health, sex, gender-based violence, drugs and substance abuse. Like my colleagues have said, it is very important that this topic is not lost in the noise of sex education only. The topic is: Comprehensive Health Education. Hon. Phelix Odiwuor asked how comprehensive it is. It is going to deal with issues of mental health and emphasis is put on matters social welfare. We have agreed that we are in the era of social media and our children need guidance. They will have a teacher who is competent in social media. Social media does not care about age. At the tap of a finger, our children can access harmful information. If they are not guided in the right and structured manner, they can be misled by that information. It is with regard to our values. It is also about the rights of our children. It is with regard to drugs and substance abuse and the need to develop healthy relationships, healthy eating behaviours among other things. There were concerns raised about the age we would prefer this education to be introduced. We have curriculum developers. They will ensure that anything that is packaged for our children is age-appropriate. The way you package information for a seven-year-old is not the same way you will package it for an 11 or 12-year-old or post teen. This will enhance retention in our schools because it will reduce teenage pregnancies. It will empower our children on their rights and protect them from sexual exploitation. We have seen an uproar in social platforms with regard to exploitation of young children by even their grandfathers. I remember in the recent week we had an issue from Murang’a where a two-year-old had been defiled by the grandfather. We must agree that in this era and age of information from all manner of sources, we need to ensure that it is regulated. This Motion will mitigate drug and substance abuse in our school-going children. It will promote healthy relationships among them. Remember, it has been taboo for very many years for parents to talk to children about relationships between a girl and a boy. It does not have to be sexual. That relationship can be healthy. They can benefit from each other. They need to be guided. At the end of the day, they will grow into young adults. We know the natural order of things is that they will engage, at an appropriate age, in a healthy relationship. We need to talk to them and stop burying our heads in the sand. Back in the day, if my grandfather saw me with a boy, he would say, ‘I do not want to see you with that boy.’ There was no reason. There was no harm. I am seated next to Hon. Nimrod and there is no harm sitting next to him. A girl-child does not get pregnant by sitting next to a boy-child. We need to talk to them and tell them. We need to make them understand that if they engage in sexual activity at such a young age, their education will be derailed and they might contract STIs. That is what my Motion is about. It will also promote mental health among the young people. As we all know, mental health is a major topic. The Mental Health (Amendment) Act, 2020 is a very robust law that was passed in the last Parliament, but we do not have the infrastructure to implement the same. Let our children be told that life comes with its pressures, but that does not mean they should think of committing suicide or feel useless in life. We should look after the welfare of our children. Let us look beyond sensational topics in the media on sex. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}