This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
The Kenyan government is committed to supporting pregnant schoolgirls, with Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Gender, Prof. Margaret Kobia, stating that teenage girls who have been impregnated will be taken back to school to pursue their dreams.
Prof. Kobia explained that the government has a policy in place that allows schoolgirls who get pregnant to resume studies in school when the baby is born, citing that prevention is key due to the challenges faced by these girls, including stigma and lack of childcare.
Speaking at the National Youth Service (NYS) headquarters while handing over Covid-19 donations to Women Parliamentary Caucus, Prof. Kobia emphasized the importance of preventing teenage pregnancies, stating that most of the pregnancies are by people known to them, including close family members.
Prof. Kobia also called for maximum punishment for those found culpable of defiling underage girls, stating that impregnating an underage girl is defilement.
The donations included 7,500 facemasks from the NYS, 600 kits from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 600 jerry cans, 600 buckets, and hand sanitizers from the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).
Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rachel Shebesh emphasized the importance of women leaders standing tall and proud, emulating the women who came before them, such as Phoebe Asiyo, Eddah Gachukia, Julia Ojiambo, and Nyiva Mwendwa.
Women Parliamentary Caucus Chair, Alice Wahome, highlighted the issue of gender-based violence, stating that it is getting normalized, with women being battered at home by their husbands, brothers, and relatives, and being thrown out of their homes with their children.
Wahome praised President Uhuru Kenyatta for his bold stand against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which he aims to end by 2022, and emphasized the need for support from elected women leaders.
