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{
    "id": 491028,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/491028/?format=api",
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    "content": "predicament of young girls around the country. I want to thank her for highlighting the anguish, pain and challenges which these young mothers are facing. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have been told that three out of 10 girls become pregnant before attaining the age of 18 years. This should be a matter of great concern for all of us and the Kenyan society as a whole. This really demonstrates that we are dealing with a social problem of a major scale. Sen. Ongoro has illustrated the magnitude of this problem in Nairobi, but I would like to say that the situation in rural Kenya is much worse than in Nairobi. I know what happens in my own county, the situation in the villages is such that the frequency of these incidents is very high, indeed. I appreciate that this Motion will help to highlight the kind of challenges we are facing as a society. This Motion now will go a long way in showing that actually the family unit has failed in protecting these young girls. It will also help to show the extent of the moral decay in our society and that the degree of social disorder in our society has gone to very high levels. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are dealing with reality. I know that Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. talks about the law and so on. However, we are dealing with real situations and what is happening in society and in our counties on a day to day basis. The truth of the matter is that young teenage girls are now becoming mothers. The truth of the matter is that these young girls and young mothers are Kenyans. The truth of the matter is also that even those who are being born are Kenyans and it is our duty as leaders and as responsible Members of society to understand their situation and to help where we can. This is why I am so grateful that this Motion was brought so timely. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this has been mentioned earlier by the various Senators who have contributed to this Motion; that we need to understand why this is happening and why incidents of this nature are on the increase. What are the causes? Parents have failed in their work, duty and responsibility? We have not guided and counseled our children. We have not spent enough time with them and we have not shown love to these children. Therefore, in the absence of that, the children, particularly the girls, have sought help elsewhere. They have gone to friends who are showing them new ways of getting that love. That way is early sex, leading to unwanted pregnancies. Our education system should focus more on this aspect. We should even introduce formal sex education as part of our curriculum, so that girls and boys understand the consequences of engaging in premarital sex. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of drug and substance abuse is also on the increase and we all know about it. Again, this is brought about by peer pressure and the kind of friends we engage with. All these have contributed to early sex and unwanted pregnancies. The issue of drugs is a major menace in all our towns; it is now pervading the rural areas and destroying lives. We, as a nation, need to be awake to this huge challenge as it is contributing to this problem of early sex and unwanted pregnancies. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, somebody has talked about sugar daddies. These are responsible members of the society who will tempt these young girls into sex and thereafter, leave them condemned, abandoned and neglected completely. I think we The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}