Incest, Teenage Pregnancies On The Rise
Kiambu County stakeholders have expressed concern about the increased number of teenage pregnancies in the area, with figures showing that 378 young girls visited prenatal clinics during the year.
According to data from the Kenya Data and Health Survey 2021, which was collected between January 2022 and May 2022, the majority of the girls were aged 10 to 14.
During the Day of the African Child celebrations in Thika town, stakeholders stated that the number could be higher because some people do not attend clinics.
They blamed the situation on increased poverty caused by high living costs and the deterioration of society’s moral fabric.
Rose Mbarine, Kiambu County Coordinator of Children Services, stated that increased sensitization meetings were required to reduce defilements and the number of teenage mothers.
According to Sub County Children Officer Linah Mwangi, over 1,600 girls were impregnated in Thika Constituency last year.
Alert On Increased Incest As Kakamega Establishes children’s home For Victims
At the same time, various stakeholders in Kakamega are on high alert due to an increase in cases of incest as the county commemorates an African child.
Incest cases are on the rise, to the point where a children’s home has been established in Bukura to specifically shelter those children.
A situation analysis conducted by the county, which led to the development of a Child Policy, also revealed that the county was experiencing an increase in child neglect and was still dealing with issues such as street children and early marriages.
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Cases of child sexual abuse, Gender Based Violence (GBV), abandonment, and child-led families prompted the county government to create the policy, which is now in its final stages.
Evelyne Etyang’, the County Head of Human Resource Management and Development in the Department of Social Services, stated that the county would also use the policy for resource mobilization to support programs for children.
Incest, Teenage Pregnancies On The Rise
