This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
On August 1, 2019, Millie Odhiambo, a member of parliament from Suba, announced plans to introduce a bill in parliament that would require men to declare children born out of wedlock.
The proposed bill, which would be presented under Article 14 of the Marriage Act, aims to address the issue of men abandoning their children born out of wedlock, leaving women to bear the burden of raising them alone.
Odhiambo argued that the current laws have been inadequate in addressing this issue, leading to many women being left to care for children born out of wedlock without any support from their fathers.
"I will present a bill in parliament that will require men to declare their children born out of wedlock, whether they are alive or deceased," Odhiambo said. "We do not want women to be forced to reveal the identity of their children born out of wedlock when their fathers have passed away."
According to Odhiambo, the proposed bill is necessary to address the issue of men abandoning their children and leaving women to care for them alone.
