Image: The-Star
Kaloleni Member of Parliament Paul Katana has asked his constituents to send female children to school or they will find themselves in jail.
Mr. Katana says some parents in his constituency deliberately marry off their daughters for dowry while claiming they have no money to pay school fees.
Speaking in the Kinagoni area during the distribution of school uniforms and food to hundreds of students in difficult circumstances, Mr Katana said it is the responsibility of every parent to ensure that their child goes to school.
"I have spoken with the Deputy County Commissioner and the chiefs, and agreed that any child who should join the first form should not be at home because the government issued an order to school principals to accept all students, without conditions," he said.
The MP noted that although there are genuine cases of parents with needy students, those who do not send their children to school, on purpose, should be charged with negligence.
According to the Nation, last week, Kaloleni Sub-County Director of Education Josephine Lomata led the arrest of a parent for failing to send their daughter to school.
The 15-year-old girl was a student of Birini Mwamleka Primary School and had scored 358 marks in the 2022 Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination.
She was to join Waa Girls Secondary School in Matuga, Kwale County.
