Deadbeat fathers will have a hard time getting, employment, credit in the future, or flying out of the country if a bill proposed by Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata, is passed into law.
The Senator wants to amend the Children’s Act to specifically target deadbeat fathers who intentionally fail to pay child support. Section 23 of the Children’s Act provides for parental responsibility and duties which include maintaining the child and in particular to providing him or her with adequate diet, shelter, clothing, medical care, and education and guidance. Also a duty to protect the child from neglect, discrimination, and abuse.
In his proposal, he also wants the deadbeat fathers to be barred by Immigration from leaving the country should they defy court orders to pay maintenance of a child and that county governments should be allowed to suspend trading licenses of deadbeat fathers and only renew them when they meet the financial obligations of their children.
These deadbeat dads will be ranked higher on Credit Reference Bureau if they ever default on loans as the bill wants the institution to monitor the behavior of these borrowers. They will also have a hard time securing employment and the Kenya Police Service will be directed not to give deadbeat fathers a certificate of good conduct, which is becoming a basic requirement for many employers as it ensures a potential employee has no criminal history as documented by the Criminal Records Office.
Employers are tagged in the proposal to play a role in ensuring, all-male employees take care of their children financially. If the issue of deadbeat fathers is handled well in the bill the resolution of children’s cases in courts could be much easier and faster.
