Shock as 4,000 Kenya teens get pregnant during COVID-19 school shutdown

A sharp surge in reported teenage pregnancies is threatening to cut short the pursuit of education for vulnerable girls, with the latest statistics from a Kenya Health Information System survey revealing that a total of 3,964 girls aged 19 years and under were reported pregnant in Machakos county in Kenya over a period of four months.

Data released during Tuesday's commemoration of the Day of the African Child showed a parallel in the number of newly-reported teen pregnancies with coronavirus-related restrictions. Top among them is the closure of schools to avert a catastrophic spread of the virus.

According to Salome Muthama, Machakos county children's officer, 200 of the girls are aged 14 years and younger. Muthama said the report indicated that more than 28 girls got pregnant in Machakos county daily during the period in question.

"This is a very big number and I am calling upon parents to involve themselves fully in taking care of their children, especially the girls. All the people who have impregnated these children need be arraigned but it is becoming a challenge. We need special court sittings to address and deal with these cases," Salome said.

Salome added that the cases of teenage pregnancies were exacerbated by the fact that a number of children were taken from urban centers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and left in the hands of their grandmothers in the countryside as parents returned to the towns.

"These helpless grandmothers are not able to closely watch over the youths, and as a result the young ones are introduced to bad habits or even molested by peers and other unscrupulous people, thus leading to such calamities as these pregnancies," Salome said.

While expressing shock at the revelation, Alfred Mutua, governor of Machakos county, raised concerns that the figures might be exaggerated.

"Even though the figures announced are a bit high because the number 4,000 represents multiple visits of pregnant girls to hospitals, it is still unacceptable to tolerate even a single case of teenage pregnancy," Mutua said.

"We have to protect the innocence of our children and we must do so as a society and in our family units. In Machakos county, all pregnant girls will be encouraged and enabled to attend classes. They should be in school when schools reopen. We all need to address this problem, corona or no corona," Mutua added.

According to Karanja Muiruri, the county's police commander, police will be on the lookout to ensure that they arrest all those responsible.

"We have received only 40 cases, which are currently in court. We have not received anything more in any of our eight stations. This means that these cases are not being reported. We encourage parents to come forward and report cases so that we can initiate action. We also will work with the children's office to follow up on the matter," Muiruri said.