Photo by Rop Janet/KNA
A multi-agency team tasked with tackling teenage pregnancies in Kajiado County has been formed.
The team, consisting of stakeholders drawn from the Children’s department, National Police service, Faith based organizations, County Government, Non-Governmental Organizations and the Interior Ministry are expected to track all school-going girls who have been impregnated.
Chiefs, their assistants, village elders and members of Nyumba Kumi community policing will assist in identifying and pursuing men who prey on the school girls so that they are held responsible.
County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha on Tuesday said the committee will provide a detailed report of all the girls who have been impregnated since schools were shut down in March this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We want to know the number of girls who have been impregnated, their location, guardians name and the persons responsible for the pregnancies so that we can take appropriate action,” said Nkanatha.
He added that parents or guardians who do not report to the authorities when the girls are impregnated will also be held accountable.
“Many of the under-age girls are involving themselves in sexual activities and as a result they have gotten pregnant. We have to track down all these girls and ensure the culprits are brought to book. We will also arrest parents who have not reported the teenage pregnancy cases and those responsible,” said Nkanatha.
The commissioner warned men preying on under-age girls that their days were numbered and they would soon be arrested and prosecuted.
Nkanatha noted that sex with a minor is a crime in Kenya and attracts a jail term ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment.
“It is a crime to impregnate a girl below 18 years of age. It is worrying that some men have taken advantage of the prolonged closure of schools due Covid-19 to defile learners. We will soon arrest all the culprits and charge them accordingly,” he said.
He further advised parents to take up their parenting role seriously and talk to their children about their sexuality and dangers of engaging in sexual activities at an early age.
