This archive report was first published on 21 August 2021.
Trans Nzoia has witnessed a disturbing trend of teenage girls being murdered to conceal their pregnancies, according to local actors fighting teen pregnancy in the region.
Led by Bishop Edward Khaoya of Kitale Family House of Hope, the actors who run Teen Mums Rescue centre, have expressed concern over the increase in deaths of female teenagers who have active cases in court regarding their pregnancies.
"We have received an alarming number of pregnant teens who are found murdered and their bodies being thrown into bushes, with the latest incident being of a teen who was coerced by the man who defiled her and impregnated her," they said.
According to Bishop Khaoya, the perpetrators fear stiffer penalties and thus resolve to do away with the main evidence, which is the girl, to weaken the cases.
"When someone hears that he will be jailed for more than 40 years and he is out on bond, he resolves to end the life of the prime evidence, thus leading to the rampant cases of deaths," Bishop Khaoya said.
The bishop has also castigated the move by courts to award bonds to suspects, saying that it has led to an increase of kangaroo courts in the area.
"When a suspect is released on bond, he makes sure he resolves the case within the family circle, with the family sending the girl away, thus weakening the cases. It means key witnesses do not show up to testify against the accused," he explained.
Furthermore, Bishop Khaoya lamented over the increase in numbers of teenage mothers who got their second pregnancy due to stigma and poverty.
"98% of teenage mothers bear their second children in less than two years after the first one," he said.
Cases of incest and defilement to persons known to the victim are also on the rise, with some of the cases being perpetuated by biological fathers and spiritual leaders.
"We have two distinctive cases in our centre where one of the girls was defiled and impregnated by her biological father. In another case, a girl sought sexual advice from her local pastor and was defiled severally leading to her pregnancy," he explained.
For now, the home has succeeded in reforming more than 2200 teen mums, with 600 being given sewing machines to start afresh their lives, and 38 still undergoing training at the centre.
"We are trying to help the girls get back on their feet in a bid to help them reintegrate into the society and earn their daily bread," Bishop Khaoya said.
