Narok county children officer has decried increased cases of child abuse in the county during this long holiday.
Pilot Khaemba said his department receives numerous cases from the police stations and individuals on abandoned young children at dangerous points.
Khaemba said cases of children loitering in major towns and trading centers during night hours has increased in the county warning parents to take their parental role of guiding their children.
“Barely a day will end without a child case being reported at the police station. The cases range from defilement, abandonment and drug abuse. I ask parents to be on guard to ensure their children are safe,” he said.
The children officer also blamed parents for allowing their children to spend most of their time on social media without monitoring them.
“Parents are to blame for buying their children smart phones and allowing them to spend most of their time on the internet instead of engaging them in productive jobs,” he said.
He called on the members of the public to assist children whenever they find them stranded or in dangerous points by reporting to the nearest police station or children office.
The children officer recalled a recent incident where a parent from Kisii region sent his daughter to Narok town without giving proper directions only for the young girls to be rescued by good Samaritans as she was stranded at the bus stop.
“The parents of the young girl were later traced and she was reunited back to her family. This is one of the many cases that are happening during this long holiday,” he lamented.
The latest Kenya Demographic Health Survey shows prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the county are at 26 per cent, more than the national average of 17 per cent.
In the year 2022, about 741 students in both Primary and Secondary schools were pregnant according to statistics released by the County Department of Education.
By Ann Salaton and John Kaleke
