Counsel your children to prevent Utumishi-like fire tragedies, Thika Town MP Ng’ang’a urge parents
Speaking during the disbursement of Sh17.7million bursary cheques to 2,500 students of tertiary institutions from her constituency, the legislator told parents to take time to be with their children so as to know what they may be going through.
Parents must assume the role of counseling their children to avoid incidents like the Utumishi school fire tragedy in Nakuru County that claimed the lives of 16 girls, Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a says.
She asked the parents and guardians not to abdicate their crucial role in moulding the characters of their offsprings, or leave this to teachers.
Speaking during the disbursement of Sh17.7million bursary cheques to 2,500 students of tertiary institutions from her constituency, the legislator told parents to take time to be with their children so as to know what they may be going through.
“Can you imagine being called from home and informed that your child has perished in a school fire or that she was the one who torched the building? This pain is enough to kill a parent, so do not abandon your duties to mould your children to grow up in good morals or leave that to teachers,” Ng’ang’a said.
She also noted that learners at Chania Boys High School which was the venue for the event, had set the institution on fire a few days back, leading to its closure.
However, the MP hailed students of the nearby Thika Girls School, Karibaribi for remaining peaceful and refusing to join the bandwagon of their peers bent on destruction of school property.
Drawing a comparison between learners of yesteryears and todays’, MP Ng’ang’a said there is no way parents can use draconian ways to discipline their children because of changing times in which the young ones are well aware of their rights.
“The times have changed from when we were growing up and even career paths are completely different with the onset of the CBE system. Parents should never push their children to pursue certain fields because this may give them unnecessary stress that may lead them to criminal acts,” Ng’ang’a reiterated.
She also advised parents to seek the services of therapists whenever they suspect their children are going through stressful situations or alternatively involve their role models or favourite family members in counseling them.
“Call that uncle or aunt who is close to your child and let them have friendly talks and encourage the learners to open up in case they have issues troubling them,” the lawmaker added.
Similarly, the MP asked school heads to hire professional counselors or therapists to take care of students mental and psychological welfare.
At the same time, Ng’ang’a took the occasion to criticize the Kiambu County government for neglecting roads in her constituency, vowing to mobilize resources from the national government to bridge the gap.
While disclosing that she supports Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s move to make Thika an industrial “smart city”, the legislator accused his administration of doing little to improve infrastructure, particularly the road network.
She also enumerated a number of development projects she has initiated, including affordable housing and rehabilitation of the Thika stadium to international status.
The MP who has declared her intention to unseat Governor Wamatangi expressed confidence of clincing the seat, insisting that Kiambu is ready for a woman to lead the populous county.
Maintaining she commands a huge following from across the county, Ms Ng’ang’a who is popularly known as ‘Mama Simba’, pointed out that no governor has served for two terms since 2013 and that the trend will prevail even in the coming elections.
“Our first county governor was William Kabogo, then came Ferdinand Waititu, James Nyoro and now the current one who is the fourth one. In 2027, prepare to usher in a woman as the 5th Governor of Kiambu and that is Mama Simba,” she maintained.
Former Thika Town Jubilee party parliamentary aspirant Bishop David Ngari Gakuyo and Gatuanyaga ward MCA Joachim Njama, who are both allies of Ng’ang’a, insisted that the governor’s seat should this time go to Kiambu East.
“The last three occupants of that position have all come from Kiambu West, it is now time to bring it home and we have the numbers,” said Gakuyo who is now seeking to capture the Thika seat on a UDA ticket.
Njama on his part criticised Wamatangi’s leadership for neglecting Kiambu East, despite collecting taxes to the tune of 1 billion yearly from the area.
