The Kenya National Union of Teachers is opposed to the lowering of the age of consent from 18 to 16 years.
The proposal is outrageous and "should not be given an ear by any sober and sane Kenyan," Bungoma East Knut secretary general Aggrey Namisi said yesterday.
The average global sexual consent age is 16 years. An amendment to the Sexual Offences Act presented to Parliament through the Statue Law (Miscellaneous Amendment Bill) 2016, wants the age for consensual sex lowered from 18 to 16 years.
In Kenya, it is criminal for anybody to have sex with a person under 18 years. If the proposed amendment goes through, it will be legal for 16-year-olds to engage in sex and even get married.
The age of consent in Mexico 12 years, 13 in the Koreas, 14 in Canada and 15 in Sweden.
Namisi told the Star at Parkvilla Hotel in Webuye town said reducing the consent age will not bring discipline to schools. "It's the cardinal responsibility of parents to ensure their children have good morals both at home and in schools".
Namisi, who has been teaching for 34 years, he said, "Parents should ensure their young ones are taught in families, churches and mosques to know that engaging in sex at an early age will only ruin their lives and future."
Three Court of Appeal judges - Roselyn Nambuye, Patrick Kiage and Daniel Musinga - have proposed have proposed an amendment to the law that the age of consent be lowered to 16.
But the Knut official says the judges should be regarded as "enemies of our young, school-going children".
"If you look at many countries that have reduced the limits to even 12, their morals have seriously been eroded. Countries like Saudi Arabia have rules that before you engage in sex you first must be married. The same should apply here in Kenya," he said, adding that "a boy and girl cannot walk while holding hands in Saudi Arabia, which is common here in Kenya."
The unionist faulted genetically modified food for making children look grown "while brain-wise, they are small". At 16, he said, the children are in Form 1 and if you allow that, most will decide to get married and stop going to school.
"We want [Education CS] George Magoha to ensure every school gets family, life and sex education from Early Childhood Development [nursery] for our children to know the effects of premature sex."
He said Knut is also opposed to those who give under-age children pregnancy control pills as do so encourages "a lot of immorality in the society".
Webuye resident Namanda Nasila fears that teachers will prey on schoolgirls if the age of consent is lowered.
