• Nominated MCA Fatma Kushe says she will talk to men first before drafting bill.
• She says men should be forced to use patches for men as a family planning method.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO
Mombasa men are recklessly having unprotected sex, getting girls pregnant and the result is more street children.
And they just keep doing it, without a care.
Women are supposed to take all the responsibility unless they are defiled or raped.
The situation is so bad that Mombasa women MCAs are contemplating a law that to compel men to undergo reversible sterilisation at a certain age, such as use of a patch.
The MCAs say men have become rogue, impregnating women and then failing to take responsibility. leading to an increased number of street children.
“Mombasa is full of street children because in most cases, men do not take responsibility for their actions and deny they sired children with the many women they have,” Nominated MCA Fatma Kushe said.
The MCA said she will first initiate a campaign to have men use contraceptives that do not affect their ability to sire children.
“We love them but they also have to be responsible. We will have to talk sense into them first before we come up with a bill,” Kushe said.
The MCA said she has identified three women colleagues at the county assembly to help her come up with the bill. These are nominated MCAs Milka Moraa and Hamida Nur and Kipevu’s Faith Mwende.
The MCAs said the number of street children in Mombasa is scaring tourists away from the CBD, denying traders an opportunity to sell their wares.
The number of street children in Mombasa is not known but some NGOs have put the number at more than 10,000.
The county has on several occasions attempted to rid the streets of the urchins by rounding them up and taking them to a rescue centre established at Tononoka Hall.
Kushe said they are still consulting on the best birth control method for men, since most refuse to use condoms.
She said if push comes to shove, they would go for compulsory chemical vasectomies that she said would be fought hard by male lawmakers. This meausre apparently would be used in cases of defilement and rape.
Kushe said she came across the Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG) which is currently being tied in India.
It's a long way from being accepted in India, let alone elsewhere.
While male contraception is much less common than female birth control, such as oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices and patches, RISUG makes it an attractive, if unfamiliar option, according to the newsletter Healthline.
“Let us see what she comes up with before we can comment. These matters are interesting and sensitive,” Tononoka MCA Ali Omar said.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)