This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
Deadbeat Fathers Must Face the Music ¶
Senator Irungu Kang'ata's recent proposal to punish deadbeat fathers has sent shockwaves among Kenyan menfolk, putting masculinity on notice.
According to Article 53(1)(e) of the Constitution, every child has the right to parental care and protection, which includes equal responsibility of the mother and father to provide for the child, whether they are married to each other or not.
Single motherhood is an undisputed phenomenon in Kenya, with the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014 establishing that the national teenage pregnancy/motherhood rate was 18 per cent.
Fourteen per cent of women aged 15-49 years had experienced sexual violence, making them potential candidates for single motherhood.
Further, the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey of 2015/16 reported that 32.4 per cent of households in the country were headed by females, a significant percentage of whom were unmarried single mothers.
Senator Kang'ata's proposal to list deadbeat fathers on Credit Reference Bureaus, leading to freezing of credit, denial of travel documents, and attachment of salary or property to meet child maintenance, is a step in the right direction.
However, this crusade should be achieved through persuasion, cultural re-engineering, and realistic legal enforcement mechanisms, rather than relying solely on legislation.
As Governor of Makueni County, I believe that deadbeat fathers must face the music and accept responsibility for their children, whether through mutual agreement or a maintenance order from the courts.
Ultimately, the focus must always be on the child, and if two tango, there is an absolute duty towards any offspring.
