Kisumu Governor’s wife Olivia Ranguma has decried early marriages, pregnancies and lack of resources denying many young girls in Kisumu an opportunity for education.
Speaking at Bar-korua Primary School in Seme Sub County during the launch of an advocacy action on ending early/forced child marriage organised by Plan International, Ranguma said the trend may be detrimental to the girls’ future.
“Every year, our daughters and sisters’ dreams are shattered by the early marriages which lead high school dropout rate,”she said.
She said that early or forced marriages demean the value and personhood of the victims as it robs the girl child of their rights to experience full childhood and the rights to basic education.
Ranguma who urged provincial administration and police to assist in eradicating the menace said that age-old traditions that condemn persons to lives of slavery and anguish, like these have no place in modern society and should be condemned in the strongest terms.
“Everybody desires and hopes for a bright future and life. The bill of rights in our constitution guarantees us fundamental rights-like the right to live,” she added.
She said many girls dropped out of schools due to lack of role models in their families or communities whom they can emulate.
During the event, Plan International County Director Carol Sherman disclosed that Kisumu County stood at 42 per cent in early/forced girl child marriage prevalence which is a worrying trend.
Kisumu county Executive for Education Jenipher Kere who accompanied Ranguma disclosed that the county has a plan of achieving an annual reduction of the trend by 10 per cent to ensure early child marriages become a thing of the past.
She warned parents against keeping quiet whenever a relative abuses a child.