This archive report was first published on 8 August 2020.
Published on August 8, 2020, a report revealed a surge in teenage pregnancies in Kisumu, with over 3,500 school girls conceiving between January and June this year.
According to the County Public Health and Sanitation Department, a majority of the girls are aged between 10 and 19 years, with Nyakach sub-County recording the highest number of 573 cases.
Deputy Governor Mathews Owili attributed the situation to the closure of schools and colleges due to the coronavirus, saying the county government is willing to partner with other interested groups to protect young girls.
Owili warned residents to be on the alert as many pregnancies were terminated in back street abortion dens, further putting lives of the girls at risk.
“History will judge us harshly if we do not act now to save our teenage girls from pregnancies that will ruin their lives forever,” Owili said at a meeting of the working group.
The working group resolved to actively involve area chiefs and their assistants through the county commissioner to help track down the pregnant girls and take action against the responsible men.
Caroline Agwanda, an official from the Department of Women, Children and People Living with Disabilities, demanded that teenage girls be included in special and vulnerable groups during this pandemic.
