Nairobi, Kenya — Kenya is currently grappling with an alarming teenage pregnancy rate of approximately 18%. According to the latest Kenya Health Data Survey, nearly one in every five girls aged 15 to 19 is either pregnant or already a mother. Behind this staggering statistic are the faces of young women facing a harsh reality yet demonstrating extraordinary resilience in their fight to reclaim their futures.
Speaking with Liberal News Network in Nairobi, Benjamin Kahindi, Founder of the Safe Community Youth Initiative, said, ” There has been an increment in school dropouts among pregnant girls in Kilifi County.
Notably, the pregnant girls are largely from low-income families, and some of them are victims of negative social and cultural norms and practices.”
Kahindi warned that many adolescent girls fear being discriminated against because of the “smell of breast milk” and the changes experienced after giving birth.
It is approximated that over 4,000 school-going girls aged between 10 and 18 years were impregnated in 2023. Arguably the number has increased this year owing to the high cost of living. Worse still, young girls may also face another crisis because of their menstruation cycle.
Faith Pendo, the Founder of Pendant of Hope in Machakos County, said that more than 10,000 girls became gender-based violence victims because they could not access sanitary pads.
Pendo also underscored that adolescent girls continue to endure a lot of challenges because sanitary pads are expensive and inaccessible.
Speaking with the same tone, Joseph Ojuki, Founder and Senior Programs Manager at the Health and Economic Development Strategy Organisation (HEDSO), said, “There’s a lot of vulnerability within the lake region and the people there predominantly depend on fishing as their source of income. ”
Onjuki also noted that adolescent girls and young women. continue to remain vulnerable to gender-based violence and urged decision-makers to act quickly by reducing the costs of reproductive health products and services.
Dr. Vongai Nyahunzvi, Founder and CEO of Alliance for Women and Girls (AFWAG) also shared the same view and said that Kenya may not achieve gender equality unless consideration is given to young girls and women.