This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
On July 9, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive to ensure pregnant schoolgirls in Kenya access free pre and post-natal care. Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia revealed that the directive has been relayed to all County Commissioners.
According to Kinuthia, the president is worried that many pregnant schoolgirls suffer from social stigma, which may lead to them failing to receive maternal care, exacerbating the current crisis and resulting in birth-related complications.
The directive also requires administrators to reveal the identities of those behind the pregnancies, acknowledging that many pregnant minors live under threat from their perpetrators, including close family members and those in authority.
Kinuthia emphasized that the data from the registration exercise will help ensure that all school-going girls can resume learning once they deliver.
“All the chiefs and their assistants have been directed to register all the pregnant schoolgirls and ensure they do not fail to access maternal healthcare,” Kinuthia said, adding that the government will work to seal loopholes and address the issue of child abuse in the country.
