At least 3,442 men were last year compelled by courts to provide financial upkeep for their children in Nakuru county.
County Co-ordinator of Children’s Services Mr Abdi Sheikh Yusuf said this was a major rise compared to 2012 when 1,236 men were placed on notice of risking jail for abandoning their families.
Mr Sheikh called on families to embrace counselling from marriage specialists saying his office had trained counselors who had helped salvage 2,515marriages across the county where couples earlier engaged in bitter rows were reunited.
“We convinced them to reunite for the betterment of their children’s lives where domestic rows were mainly attributed to poverty, infidelity and illicit liquor consumption adding that broken homes largely caused a surge in delinquency cases reported to authorities.
The Children’s officer called on community leaders, especially religious leaders, to hold marriage counseling sessions within their areas to help ease domestic rows saying this could also help the government address other emerging issues attributed to the street children menace.
He added that all was not well on the family front with 2,828 fresh cases filed before the Children’s courts by warring couples.
Releasing this year’s report, Mr Sheikh lamented that their ‘safe house’ meant for children in conflict with the law had been turned into a haven for abandoned and neglected children where 854 children were rescued by good Samaritans and taken to respective local hospitals.
At the same time, Sh93.1million was given to 3,360 families with each home receiving Sh2,000 monthly grant.
The grants has enabled 11,580 orphaned and vulnerable children enjoy better livelihoods and attend school throughout the year.-nation.co.ke
