Busia law courts have supported the boda boda sector by donating sanitary towels for onwards distribution to vulnerable girls across the county.
Speaking during the flagging off of the sanitary distribution exercise, Busia Chief Magistrate Edna Nyaloti said that the boda boda operators have for a long time been associated with the defilement of innocent girls by using sanitary towels as bait.
“Through continuous engagements, the operators have decided on their own to support girls through donating pads to the young girls,” she said, adding that the judiciary has decided to support the initiative.
Nyaloti urged other stakeholders to join hands in supporting the boda boda operators in the noble initiative.
“What the boda boda sector is doing is very good and we want to call upon other stakeholders to support them,” she said.
Busia Law Court presiding judge, Justice William Musyoka, thanked the boda boda leadership for coming up with the initiative, adding that defilement was the biggest challenge in Busia County.
“Prison authorities will tell you that most inmates in prison are convicts of defilement,” he said, adding that Busia is one of the hot spots.
Musyoka urged the operators to be ambassadors against defilement and inform other members of the society that it is a criminal offence punishable by the law.
“The law prescribes that those convicted of defiling children below 11 years should be sentenced for life,” he said, adding that defilement of children between 12 to 15 years attracts not less than 20 years of imprisonment.
He noted that most perpetrators of defilement are young people who are required to contribute to the development of the country’s economy, hence the need to ensure that they are more informed.
The official further stated expressed concern that a section of elderly persons in Busia County also resorted to defiling children.
Busia County Boda Boda Association Vice Chairman Joseph Barasa said that they began the initiative in December last year by distributing the sanitary pads from one home to another but it was very expensive.
“We had to stop the initiative because a home set up had several females in need of the sanitary towels,” he said, adding that some young mothers scramble for the items given to young girls.
Barasa reiterated that they are aspiring to reach all the needy girls in every school across the county so that the society can appreciate the boda boda sector just like all other sectors that create employment.
“We also want to discourage young boys against dropping out of school and joining the sector,” he said.
By Salome Alwanda
