This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
Teenage pregnancies are a growing concern in Kisii County, with alarming numbers being reported at hospitals in the region. According to records at Ogembo sub-county hospital, there were 841 cases of teenage pregnancies in the last year alone.
Most of the girls who were impregnated were between 15 and 18 years old, while 22 girls aged between 10 and 14 also delivered at the hospital during the same period. The hospital received a case of a 26-year-old woman who was admitted to deliver her eighth child, with hospital records indicating that she gave birth to her first child between the ages of 10 to 12 years.
Dr. Nabwana Ambrose, a medical officer at the hospital, stated that the girls who delivered at the hospital rarely divulged information about the men responsible for the pregnancies, citing that defilement cases are never talked about and parents may want to get compensation at the family level rather than proceed to court.
With only one counsellor employed at the hospital, there is fear that a number of young mothers could be leaving the hospital without proper guidance. Dr. Nabwana called on the local leadership to invest in youth empowerment programmes and conduct civic education on safe sex practices.
According to Peter Wainaina from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Ogembo law courts, between January and October last year, they registered 113 sexual offence cases, with the majority touching on the defilement of girls aged between seven and 15.
Dr. Mercy Nyamongo of Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital's Department of Reproductive Health stated that the issue of teenage pregnancies was a major problem in Kisii and Nyamira Counties, and that policies need to be set up where teenagers are advised on safe sex practices and family planning.
Dr. Josphat Kiriama, a reproductive health nursing officer at Kisii University, emphasized the importance of educating girls on life skills until they become mature adults, stating that the society is exposing these girls to a future full of suffering.
Joel Machuka, a children's officer, attributed the rise in teenage pregnancies to poor social set-ups, improved technology, lack of sex education in schools, and ignorance about the law.
