Chinese gambling machine
Rongo Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Satia has asked parents to keep their children at home as they will be arrested any time they are sported in town engaging in activities that is deemed detrimental to their welfare.
This is after several youths and school children arrested in various shops in Rongo town engaging in gambling and illegal betting practices.
The DCC said that the long school holiday might entice them to gamble saying that parents are equally worried that their children will be ensued by gambling and betting after it crazily hit the region.
He said the gambling habit has encouraged theft among children hence should be downcast and outlawed at whole cost.
“Gambling is becoming the main cause of domestic theft now as children steal money from their parents. We now must put to check those who operate these businesses because they never care to find out where these children get money from,” said Satia.
He said that some crooked individuals mostly from Rongo, Nyatike, Uriri, Awendo, Isibania and Kehancha regions have acquired the gambling machines hence confuses the community for their selfish gains.
A parent Millicent Akinyi decried the level of discipline level on children as they engage on gambling as a way of getting cheap money without necessarily sweating for it.
She has asked the government and the security agents to intrude and ensure they regulate the gambling habit to minimize the dreadful exposure especially to school going children.
“Our children no longer stay at home even to study .They camp in the shops gambling with the coins they have stolen from home,” She said.
This comes a week after Migori county woman Representative Danitah Ghati, reiterated that the youths and children have been exposed to quick way of getting money as opposed to culture of working hard in the endeavor of meeting their financial obligations.
Ghati said the long December holiday places children to a situations that may be tempting and may eventually interfere with their academic life as schools resume in January.
The DCC has now warned the locals against acquiring the unlicensed gambling machines urging the chiefs and their assistants and other local leaders to be vigilant especially on children who are involved in gambling or activities which are bordering on child labor that would place the lives in jeopardy.
