The Anglican Bishop of Bondo Prof. David Kodia has called for castration of defilers to curb the escalating rate of teenage pregnancies in the country.
Bishop Kodia said the government should enact a law to ensure all those who are convicted with defilement offense are castrated as a deterrence measure to the vice.
He said the existing laws are so weak and has failed to curb the vice that has left many teenage girls pregnant and at the risk of dropping out of school in wake of long vocation occasioned by coronavirus pandemic.
“The laws on defilement are not strong enough, many suspected defilers eventually buy their way out of the justice system and continue to commit the heinous offence,” Kodia said.
The clergy, speaking during the eighth Bondo ACK diocese Synod meeting Friday regretted that the dreams of several girls have been shattered due to early pregnancies which could be tamed if stronger deterrence measures like castration are adopted.
”We are aware that Kenyan media exploded with disturbing stories last month alleging that over 4000 school girls were impregnated in Kenya during covid-19 lockdown,” he said.”
Kodia blamed the menace on the current laws saying it was overly wrong for the justice system to grant bail to suspected defilement offenders.
He observed that that the law on defilement should be tightened to serve offenders with punishment befitting their reckless act.
Bishop Kodia revealed that Bondo ACK diocese is working with like-minded organizations to alleviate the situation by providing sanitary towels and guidance and counseling sessions for teenage girls.
In 2018, his predecessor, the then ACK bishop Rev. Johannes Angela was charged with defilement at a Bondo law court but the case thrown out for lack of sufficient evidence.
By Brian Odeng’
