The Deputy President’s spouse, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi has called for collaboration among community stakeholders to ensure they provide a dignified future for young men.
Mrs. Rigathi noted that the boy child had been abandoned in the community prompting them to engage in alcoholism, drug abuse, and street life.
Speaking during a medical camp held at Kisii primary school grounds in Kisii town, she urged the national and county governments to work together in rehabilitating the young men whose lives had been ruined through drug addiction.
“A generation is about to be wiped out and we need to change the course and take care of the future of our children, especially the boy child, so that our families may thrive,” she said.
Mrs. Rigathi cautioned parents against condemning their children who are addicted to alcohol and drugs and instead, encourage them to help the young men in seeking assistance from rehabilitation centers.
In addition, she said that parental guidance is key at every stage of the boy child’s life adding that most parents are too busy and out of touch with their children’s social well-being.
Pastor Rigathi decried the high number of young men in prison within the county saying that most of them had committed various offences under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Notably, she pointed out that the boy-child had resorted to the risky informal transport commonly referred to as boda boda and they were conducting the business while drunk, thereby rendering them vulnerable to accidents.
As a remedy, Mrs. Rigathi expressed her willingness to join hands with the Kisii county government in supporting young men through a rehabilitation program that would involve seeking medical help, joining a vocational institution for training, and ultimately, securing a job for a better future for themselves and their families.
“We want to identify those who can go to the rehab willingly and assist them throughout the recovery program so that they can come back and support their peers here in Kisii,” she added.
Mrs. Rigathi also challenged the clergy to be at the forefront in facilitating the uplifting of the boy child, especially the street urchins, and refrain from turning them away when they seek support from the church.
Pastor Dorcas is on a two-day visit to Kisii County and will be engaging in discussions with the church leadership and vulnerable groups.
Through the Dorcas Rigathi Foundation in partnership with various health facilities, Kisii county residents are benefitting from a two-day free medical camp being held at Kisii primary school grounds in Kisii town.
The Dorcas Rigathi Foundation is committed to providing a dignified future for vulnerable populations.
The Foundation aims to create an equitable future and restore socio-economic participation of the boy child, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities in Kenya, through equal access to resources, skills, capabilities, and human and civil rights.
By Mercy Osongo
