Kericho: Teenage pregnancies in six Kericho sub-counties, particularly Bureti and Belgut, have reached their highest number in the past seven months.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Gender and Affirmative County Director, Ms. Beatrice Chebet, presented a report to the National Government Development – County Implementation Coordination and Management Committee during a meeting at the Kericho CCS boardroom.
In Belgut Sub County, 932 teenage girls were impregnated, while in Bureti Sub County, 541 were impregnated between January 2015 and July 2021, marking the highest numbers recorded. Furthermore, the Gender Officer reported that 3,331 teenage girls were pregnant across six sub-counties of Kericho during the same period.
Meanwhile, Ms. Chebet noted that over the same period, a total of 764 cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence were reported in the County. For instance, Bureti Sub County reported 373 cases of COVID-19, with Ainamoi coming second with 162 cases, Belgut having 38, Kipkelion East having 6, Kipkelion West having 18, and Soin Sigowet having 115 cases.
According to Ms. Chebet, the data sourced from the County Health Management Information System indicates the need for a safe space to protect victims of Gender-Based Violence in the County. Currently, Kericho County lacks a safe space for a Gender-Based Violence recovery center.
Multiple and sustainable strategies are necessary to address the triple threat issues in the County, targeting mostly the youth. Ms. Chebet requested assistance from various county departments to incorporate strategies to combat teenage pregnancies, early marriages, and HIV/AIDS in their youth and sexually active community programs.
On the other hand, the Kericho acting County Commissioner, Dr. Kibe Maguta, has challenged parents in the County to take their parental roles seriously. He urged them to actively inculcate, shape, and educate their school-going children with the virtues and norms of responsible youth and better human beings.
Dr. Maguta, who chaired the meeting, implored parents to rise up and help in stemming the runaway indiscipline of the children, especially secondary school students who have burnt and destroyed school property. The Commissioner expressed dismay at the breakdown of societal parental roles, stating that nurturing, educating, and bringing up children cannot be left solely in the hands of school headteachers and teachers.
The remarks come in the wake of the Sunday strike where students of Litein High School brought down two learning and administrative buildings and destroyed property worth millions in a rampage unprecedented in the region.