This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha testified before the Senate Committee on Education, strongly opposing a proposal to lower the age of sexual consent in Kenya to 16 years.
Magoha argued that teenagers have their entire lives to engage in sex, and that the focus should not be on sex at a young age.
"You will have the rest of your life to have sex, why do you want to be thinking about sex at 16 years?" Magoha asked the committee.
He emphasized the importance of African standards and values, stating that he believed the age of sexual consent should be increased to 21 years.
Magoha also attributed the high rate of teenage pregnancies in Kenya to a lack of parental responsibility and the easy access to pornography at home.
He proposed that parents take a more active role in restricting their children's access to porn and that schools be turned into boarding schools in areas where teenage pregnancies are prevalent.
Magoha also noted that teachers who impregnate school girls have been punished, and that the Education Ministry has implemented measures to curb cases of teenage pregnancies in schools.
