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{
    "id": 1440325,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1440325/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kericho County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Kemei",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "THAT, the Care and Protection of Child Parents, (Senate Bill No. 29 of 2023), be now read a Second Time. The principal objective of the Bill is to provide a legal framework for the care and protection of child parents within the counties. The framework is intended to ensure that an expectant child or a child parent actualise their right to basic education. It also seeks to ensure proper care of their children as enshrined in Article 53 of the Constitution. Hon. Speaker, it has been 61 years since Kenya gained its Independence from colonial rule, but child pregnancies still remain a huge concern. They not only affect the child's ability to continue with their education, but also impact on the Government's effort in reducing poverty levels in the country. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2022 noted that 15 per cent of adolescent women, between 15 and 19 years, have been pregnant, with 12 per cent having given birth, 1 per cent experiencing pregnancy loss and 3 per cent being pregnant with their first child. The KNBS further noted that the number of teenage pregnancies is higher in rural areas, particularly in pastoralist communities, compared to urban areas. It further noted that teen pregnancies decline as the level of education rises, and that it also declines as the level of household wealth increases. Article 53(1) (b), (c) and (d) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides for the right of a child to free and compulsory basic education, the right to basic nutrition, shelter, health care and the right to protection from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhuman treatment and punishment that is there, and even exploitative labour. Section 13 of the Children Act, No. 29 of 2022, reiterates the right of a child to basic education and mandates the cabinet secretary in charge of children matters, in consultation with the cabinet secretary in charge of education, to develop and implement policies for the realisation by every child’s constitutional right to education."
}