Eight parents from Taita Taveta County have been arrested for not taking their children to Form One .
In their defense, the parents told the media that they could not send them to school due to lack of school fees.
This came after County Education Director Elyas Abdi directed the police to apprehend parents whose children had not joined secondary school.
“When we open a school we close prison gates, we must take all our children to school, education promotes sound morals and values,” said Mr Abdi. He added: “Every child is entitled to free and basic education.”
Tana River County is one of the counties with poor student enrollment. The county’s Commissioner Oning’oi Olesosio has advised parents to enroll their children in school or face arrest.
Praising the government’s initiative of ensuring each student received the free and compulsory primary and secondary school education,
Kibuyu Chief Victoria Jillo said more than 10 children had been enrolled in local day schools since the crackdown began. She added that some parents had fled their homes with their pregnant daughters.
She added that some parents had fled their homes with their pregnant daughters.
In Tana Delta, police are still looking for a 37-year-old Odole Primary School official who is alleged to have married and defiled a minor.