This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha proposed raising the age of sexual consent to 21 years, sparking debate on the issue.
Speaking before the Senate Committee on Education, Prof Magoha expressed his opposition to reducing the age of sexual consent to 16, calling it an 'ill-advised' proposal.
'You will have the rest of your life to have sex, why do you want to be thinking about sex at 16 years?' Prof Magoha asked, emphasizing the need for young people to focus on their education.
He attributed the high rate of teenage pregnancies to parents' failure to take responsibility and curb children's access to pornography at home.
Prof Magoha also suggested that if parents stopped leaving the role of parenting to house helps, the rate of teenage pregnancies would reduce drastically.
He further stated that the Ministry of Education has implemented measures to reduce cases of teenage pregnancies in schools, including turning some day schools into boarding schools in areas where the issue is rampant.
According to Prof Magoha, teachers who impregnate school girls have been punished, and the Ministry is working to put in place policies that will protect the girl child.
