• Appeal judges propose lowering age of sexual consent from 18 years to 16 years
•Say prisons teaming with young men serving lengthy sentences for having sex intercourse with adolescent girls
Image: FILE
A proposal to lower the age of sexual consent from 18 years to 16 years has sparked a heated debate among Kenyans on Twitter.
Appeal judges Roselyn Nambuye, Daniel Musinga and Patrick Kiage on Monday cited the lengthy jail terms imposed on young men convicted of abuse.
Their decision followed a case in which they reversed a 15-year sentence slapped on a man who had impregnated a 17-year-old girl.
They referred to the sentences as an unfolding tragedy.
“Our prisons are teeming with young men serving lengthy sentences for having had sexual intercourse with adolescent girls whose consent has been held to be immaterial because they were under 18 years,” the judges ruled.
Since Monday, the ruling has stirred a sharp debate amongst KOT.
Dr. Njoki Ngumi, on a Twitter thread, discussed how at 16 sex education would be minimal, hence putting girls at risk of catch sexually transmitted illnesses and pregnancies.
“Nobody is going to give you any [real] sex education except abstinence only. So there are many who would stake their lives on maintaining your illiteracy on condoms and contraception despite any change in law,” she explained.
“That means that if you are a girl, it is a setup for you to really embody being an emerging key population for contracting HIV and other STIs (girls and women aged 16 to 24 are the new population with higher and higher risks associated with these),” she added.
Samuel Gachagua pointed out the move could increase the risk of child marriage. He calling on the Education CS George Magoha to oppose the proposal.
“I'm strongly against lowering the age of consent to 16! This will open floodgates where old men (paedos and perves) can have sex with children and entrench #ChildMarriage. Can the new Education CS oppose this strongly? All men with daughters and sisters oppose this!” he tweeted.
Charles Maina agreed with the judges’ proposal, stating that children know everything these days.
“With Blue Band & other enhanced foods, age should be 12 years. Nowadays a child of [six] years knows everything and can even seduce an adult, judges are right,” he said.
This was echoed by James Waweru: “I'm an optimist- I look into the good side of life-it’s a good thing- they need to get their identity cards at 16- that way they are ready for the job market- and to start life earlier- it’s a boost to the economy- a strategy by the developed economies - 16 is perfect.”
Gilbert Rono said in comparison to other countries, 16 is perfect.
“Lowering consent age is long overdue! Nigeria's is 11 years, which is way too low, but 16 for Kenya is just perfect. Kuwakazia mpaka 18 ni kuwatesa (stretching up to 18 is torture).”
Nigeria and Angola currently hold the lowest ages of consent in the African continent. In Angola, it is 12.
Editing by Henry Makori