This archive report was first published on 21 August 2020.
Kenya: Parents Marrying Off Young Girls for Monetary Gain Amid Covid-19 Pandemic ¶
Published on August 21, 2020
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, Kenya has witnessed a disturbing trend of parents marrying off their young daughters for monetary gain. The situation has become so dire that rescue centres in the Nyanza region are recording a high number of girls seeking refuge from unsafe homes, exposing them to early marriage.
Recent incidents in the Nyanza region have brought to the fore an emerging social concern about the safety of children at home after schools were closed due to the pandemic. The closure of schools has aggravated the situation, with parents reportedly marrying off girls as young as 12 years old.
According to Kuria West Sub-county children's officer Mr John Omondi, the parents of a 12-year-old girl who was defiled and impregnated by a neighbour had already accepted five cows as bride price before her death. The man who defiled the girl fled to Tanzania after learning of his impending arrest.
Mr Omondi revealed that numerous interventions have seen at least 200 girls rescued from forced marriages in the past four months. Many of the girls are from Ntimaru, Gwitembe, Kegonga, Koromangucha, and Masangora.
Anti-FGM campaigners have also stepped up efforts to sensitise residents against the cut. A 2018 baseline survey conducted by Unicef on child marriages, teenage pregnancy, and FGM revealed that 35 per cent of girls from marginalised communities were getting married at a tender age.
According to the survey, some common reasons for practicing child marriage include personal choice of the affected girls themselves, better bride prices, social pressures, and retrogressive cultural practices.
Bishop Rashid Nanjira of the Christian Warrior Prayer ministries has launched a campaign against teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Kakamega County. He states that most girls of between 12 and 17 years have been impregnated in the area mostly by boda boda riders.
