Nominated senator Raphael Chimera wants government to lift the ban on 'disco matanga' in Kwale County.
Chimera, who is seeking a statement from the Standing Committee on National Security Defence and Foreign Relations, wants the government to state if there are any measures put in place to ensure the ban is lifted immediately.
He further wants the government to give reasons for the complete ban of disco matanga in Kwale County without putting in place a proper working framework.
“Clarify the legal basis for the complete banning of disco matanga in Kwale County since January 2022” the senator said in his statement.
Chimera wants the committee to direct the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to develop a practical framework to “regulate disco matangas without the associated risks.”
Disco matanga involves dancing and partying at a funeral, mostly at night, at music played by a DJ or a band.
They are usually organised by family members and friends of the deceased to raise money for burial expenses.
Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangw’a said disco matangas should not be banned totally if communities feel that are the best way to celebrate the departed ones.
“I do not think that it should be 100 per cent banned. Instead, they should be controlled in terms of time and those to attend,” he stated.
In 2018, a ban on disco-matangas was effected in Kilifi County. In 2019, there was another ban of the kind in Homa Bay County.
The government cited unexpected pregnancies among the school-going children and a drop transition of students from primary to secondary school.
