This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
July 10, 2020, marked a significant step towards improving maternal healthcare for pregnant schoolgirls in Kenya. President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a directive requiring chiefs and assistant chiefs to register all pregnant schoolgirls in their areas.
This move aims to ensure that these teenagers have access to free pre and post-natal care in public health facilities. According to Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia, the order is contained in a recent presidential directive.
As part of the directive, the National Crime Research Centre has been tasked with investigating and reporting on the high incidents of teen pregnancies in the country. Kinuthia emphasized that the government is taking a multi-faceted approach to address this issue.
“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 told Daily Nation on Thursday.
The directive also requires chiefs and assistant chiefs to list the identities of those behind the pregnancies. Kinuthia noted that the government is aware of the social stigma faced by many pregnant teens, which often prevents them from seeking maternal care, leading to birth-related complications.
“We are putting our act together as a government and we will seal all these loopholes…We will hit back hard and furiously. But at the same time, the society, starting at the nuclear family, must also play its role in battling this menace,” Kinuthia added.
