MP wants 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' books banned in Kenya
Kenyan MP wants the government to ban The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.
What you need to know:
- The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 16 books follow the main character, a funny child (a middle-schooler wimpy kid called Greg Heffley) with a different outlook on life.
- The first book in the series was published in 2007 and 290 million copies have been sold worldwide in 69 languages, according to the wimpykid.com website.
Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi wants the government to ban the American children's book series The Diary of a Wimpy Kid in Kenya, claiming it contains inappropriate language for children.
In a statement, the MP has asked Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba to explain why the series has not been banned in Kenya and is still in circulation.
He also wants the Cabinet Secretary to explain what measures are being taken to ensure that books with inappropriate language are not allowed in the country.
In response, the Cabinet Secretary said the book was not among those approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development for "use in our schools".
“The regulation for books circulating in Kenya is within the purview of the Ministry of Information and Communications and Digital Economy within the legal framework of the Books and Newspapers Act Cap 111. We have brought the matter to the said ministry for appropriate action and we will follow up to confirm that the particular offending book has been deregistered from approval,” said Mr Ogamba.
It was not immediately clear what content in the series of illustrated books by US author Jeff Kinney Mr Wanyonyi finds offensive.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 16 books follow the main character, a funny child (a middle-schooler wimpy kid called Greg Heffley) with a different outlook on life.
The first book in the series was published in 2007 and 290 million copies have been sold worldwide in 69 languages, according to the wimpykid.com website.
There have also been several film adaptations.
Praised by children around the world for its humour and relatability, the series has unexpectedly come under fire and was banned from schools in Tanzania last year by the government, which said it violated local cultural norms.
Tanzanian Education Minister Adolf Mkenda said at the time that the government was monitoring libraries in both public and private schools to make sure they were not on their shelves.
"We are banning these books from schools and other educational institutions because they contradict Tanzanian cultural norms and morals," Mr Mkenda said.
"The books also violate the good practices of bringing up our children," he said, calling on parents to inspect their children's bags to make sure they did not have the books.
Mr Mkenda said they were on a first list of "unacceptable books" and urged the public to report other similar books as part of an ongoing investigation.
The authorities further believe that the books promote negative foreign behaviour, especially on issues such as transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, and asexuality.
The books have also been banned by the Florida State Legislature which said it is concerned over its “woke” undertones. The legislature said the books harbour hidden messages that threaten to shatter the moral fabric.
