This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Published on July 10, 2020, a crisis meeting was held in the Coast region to address the alarming rate of teenage pregnancies.
The region has been identified as one of the areas with the highest number of teenage pregnancies, leading to a significant number of school dropouts.
Coast Regional Commissioner John Elungata chaired the meeting at Uhuru na Kazi building, bringing together government officials, religious leaders, and civil societies to discuss urgent measures to end teenage pregnancies.
Statistics show that coastal counties recorded over 4,000 teenage pregnancies between January and May this year, with Kilifi leading with 3,376 cases, followed by Mombasa with 941 cases.
According to Elungata, the heightened sexual activity among young girls has been encouraged by the use of mobile phones, peer pressure, social gatherings, beach activities, lack of awareness on reproductive health, and poverty.
He also blamed boda boda operators for luring young girls with offers of free rides to and from schools in exchange for sexual favors.
Elungata emphasized the need to involve all leaders from the region in finding a lasting solution to teenage pregnancies, which he described as a major social challenge prevalent in the region.
He also called on parents to shape the morals of their children and monitor their movements, especially during school holidays.
Sheikh Khalifa recommended amending the Sexual Offences Act to provide harsher penalties against those who make minors pregnant.
