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Police have arrested 30 students who were allegedly drinking alcohol and engaging in a sex party in Isebania, Migori County.
Migori County CID boss Njeru Nyaga said some of the 19 girls and 11 boys are as young as 12-years-old.
They were arrested in a club, following complaints from residents of the border town.
“The students are in custody and we are interrogating them,” Nyaga said.
He said the police also arrested the club’s proprietor and the disc jockey who was leading the “wild” party.
Boke Mwita, a resident, said the club is notorious for wild parties targeting students. She said the proprietor should be punished for allowing underage students into his club.
“We often find used condoms thrown around in the mornings and many are the times when we find our property vandalised too,” Mwita said.
Another resident, Albert Chacha, said: “The children are always unruly and appear drunk. Someone must answer for this.”
Nyaga said the suspects were held at Kehancha and Isebania police stations because of the large numbers.
He said the police are also in the process of reviewing licenses of pubs, especially those allowing children to drink alcohol.
Timothy Mbaya, the Organising Secretary for Youths Against Drugs, Substance Abuse and HIV (YADASAH), said the swoop showed that parents have absconded their duty.
“Parenting has been left for teachers and religious leaders. During holidays most parents don’t have time for their children. We can’t have underage children who leave their homes at night to drink without parents raising an alarm,” Mbaya said.
He said the organisation is leading activists across the county to map out clubs that serve alcohol to underage revellers.
The arrests come amid concerns that a high number of teenagers access entertainment joints.
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