- The event was hosted by Maseno University School of Law and moderated by former Deputy Chief Justice, Nancy Baraza and human rights and legal experts.
- The winning team (Tangaza University) were awarded a trophy and a cash prize of Sh10,000.
Students from 16 universities across Kenya converged in Kisumu to dabate on the changing dynamics of Kenyan families and examine the impact of existing laws and policies on their wellbeing.
This was during the inter-university debate held to commemorated the United Nations (UN) Day of Families.
The event hosted by Maseno University School of Law was moderated by former Deputy Chief Justice, Nancy Baraza, together with leading human rights and legal experts.
While reflecting on the significance of the event, Justice Baraza noted that it was important for the students to be equipped with critical thinking skills to enable them address new challenges facing families in contemporary society.
"As we engage the students, we are equipping them with the capacity to be critical when they look at these issues. When they try to understand these issues and probably come up with more critical tools which we can address new challenges,” she said.
Maseno University Law School Dean of Students Prof Nicholas Orago noted that the debate is an opportunity for young people in society, especially the Gen Z, to explore and interrogate the concept of the family and its place in their wellbeing, socio-cultural belonging and societal socio-economic progression based on current socio-economic and cultural realities of a globalised world.
"This event is intended to be an intellectually stimulating and enriching experience for participants and the audience alike, and also provides an opportunity for networking and collaboration for the young people,” he said.
Martin Onyango, Associate Director of Legal Strategies at the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) underscored the changing dynamics of families in the 21st century as being different from the families of the 17th and the 18th centuries.
"How do these diverse families enjoy their right to life, education, reproductive rights, access to healthcare? These issues manifest differently in different communities and even in the same community they manifest differently at different times," Onyango said.
This debate, Onyango noted, was a good reminder of the need to recognise and appreciate diversity of families even in the laws and policies.
Sleen Masawa, a law student at Maseno University and one of the debaters said the event provided an opportunity for them to understand the values of a family and what makes a healthy family.
She noted that the debate also helped her to understand that beyond the basic structures of a family, the most important aspect is how values are promoted and how challenges within families are addressed.
"We were able to interact with different motions that touched on different aspects of life, and we had to address them and outline them and gain the ability to have conversations about them," she said.
"I have learnt that there’s more to family as a basic unit of society, it is not just about the composition but about the values and wellbeing of its members.”
The Inter-University Debate was attended by participants from 16 universities.
Image: FAITH MATETE
These are Maseno University, the University of Nairobi (UoN), Moi University, Kenyatta University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Egerton University, Kabarak University, Strathmore University, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Daystar University, Tangaza University, Cooperative University, St Paul’s University, African Nazarene University, Pioneer University and Mount Kenya University.
All the participating teams were awarded with Certificates of Participation.
The winning team (Tangaza University) were awarded a trophy and a cash prize of Sh10,000.
The Runners Up (Catholic University) were awarded a trophy and a cash prize of Sh5,000.
The Best Oralist Male (Michael Daniel of Cooperative University) was awarded a trophy and a cash prize of Sh5,000 while his counterpart, Nina Wairimu, won the Best Female Oralist award and Sh5,000 cash prize.
The event comes just after First Lady Rachel Ruto officially launched the National Policy on Family Promotion and Protection hosted under the Ministry of Social Protection.
Mama Rachel called on parents across the country to adapt positive parenting that enables the full development of their children by using a nurturing, empowering and non-violent approach.
However, some human rights groups have criticised the policy for failing to comprehensively tackle gender-based violence as some of its clauses make it difficult for women to leave abusive marriages through divorce.