Following the hue and cry that the boy child has been neglected in parts of central province, Lari residents have beseeched the national and county governments to put measures in place to reverse the trend.
Speaking in his office on Monday, a human rights activist in Lari, Mr Waweru Mwangi, said the boy child had been neglected at the expense of the girl child, which was creating a dangerous trend that would be difficult to reverse.
He said there was need to enhance development of the two genders in totality, which will contribute to the growth of the region.
The activist observed that men were traditionally looked at as protectors of the family who could handle all difficult situations by themselves but when they start complaining or airing their grievances in the media, they are viewed as weak and inferior.
Mwangi said that such demoralising incidents led men in the area to indulge in alcohol abuse as well as crime to cushion them from ridicule and the embarrassment they were going through, which eventually worsens the situation and they end up becoming alcoholics and criminals.
The activist emphasised that men also need to be listened to in order for them to be assisted and shown the right path to take to attain success as everybody needed to be appreciated.
He cited the funds normally put aside for women and youth by the government, saying that men should also be included in such programmes to help them start businesses that will contribute to improving their lives and those of their families.
Mwangi added that men should be encouraged to form groups in which they can be involved in, especially in community work which can make them busy so that they do not idle around and get involved in mischief.
He said men had been neglected by the previous regimes, therefore making them vulnerable to crime, the reason why 95 per cent of prison population are men.
Mwangi said that families need to also respect, trust and appreciate men as the heads of the homes because it plays a big role in motivating them to strive to be better providers.
“Do not let the boy child succumb to destitution, because he is just as vulnerable as the girl child,” he said.
Mr James kinyua, a Rukuma resident, said that he feels it was not right to empower one gender at the expense of the other allowing it to go down the drain without anyone raising an eyebrow, until things get out of hand.
“When these girls grow up and are successful with many degrees, where will they get husbands who match their educational and academic standards?” asked Kinyua.
He reiterated that they were ready to be assisted to live positively and improve their way of life so that they can partner with the girl child to improve the society and create a good foundation for the future generation.