Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has once again faulted the gambling craze among the youths, coupled with the problem of drug abuse, and the push to lower the sex consent age from 18 years to 16 years. Speaking at Pangani Girls High School during a prize giving day, the CS brushed off the push to lower the age of consent to sex, “We can never be mad enough to support that kind of nonsense of lowering the consent age. There is some madness that some people get engaged in that is so difficult to understand!” he said. He wondered why there should be a debate that endangers the lives of children.
He cited other challenges among the youth the country is facing at the moment including gambling and called for support to the government to tackle the problems, “Join us as a government in the war we are putting against gambling and gaming in this country. This thing is messing up our children, and don’t tell me its business,” he said, “It’s not business….you cannot make money at the altar of destroying our young people.” He added the government is also tackling the issue of drug trafficking and abuse. Matiang’i revealed that the Interior Ministry has even received an application seeking a license to build a factory in Kenya that processes Cannabis for pharmaceutical use, “It will not happen,” he affirmed.
The CS said the government remains committed to the youths and will continue to make investments in education so that the children can be educated and a strong society can be built.