Bar owners from Chepilat township employing children as waiters and waitresses should be apprehended and charged in court for child abuse, Mekenene MCA has warned.
Alfayo Ngeresa made the remarks on Tuesday when he held a meeting with members of the business community from the border township following complaints by a section of area residents.
He said many child abuse incidents had been reported in his office with residents demanding immediate action against those promoting the business.
“We all want to prosper in business but we have to do it in a genuine manner, not employing young girls and boys and people to monitor the business. I have received complaints that most of our bars are employing minors. I have written to the county commissioner and demanded that those found guilty to be arrested,” he said.
Ngeresa called urged Nyamira county commissioner Josephine Onwonga to launch a crackdown and rescue the minors who had been subjected to the abuse.
“This is an issue that we are not taking for granted and I want to call upon the commissioner to carry out a crackdown and rescue our children who have been subjected to the business with little earnings,” Ngeresa said.
He said many young people in the region had reverted to prostitution, promoting risks of spreading Sexually Transmitted Infections to area residents.
“I am aware of prostitution and apparently it's minors who are engaging in the business. If possible, the bars that are promoting such filthy businesses should be closed down and owners subjected to the rule of law,” he said.