Bungoma deputy governor Pastor Jennipher Mbatiany has decried the high numbers of teenage pregnancies being recorded in the region attributing it to poor parenting.
According to a recent report released by the Ministry of Health (MOH), 54 teenage pregnancies were recorded at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Chesikaki ward, Mt Elgon Constituency this year.
The report revealed that 31 students at the school are teen mothers, 20 are expectant and three have dropped out of school.
The deputy governor who hails from Mt Elgon region says that the cases are rampant along the schools neighboring forests.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, Mbatiany said the County government has taken action and embarked on sensitization among the school-going girls’ during this long holiday.
Mbatiany affirmed that her office has partnered with non-government organizations (NGOs) and the national government to survey every school within Bungoma to document existing cases and get to the root cause of this alarming trend.
“Bungoma is now on the map for the wrong reasons and my office and the gender department will not rest until we find out what is wrong in our schools,” she said.
Mbatiany appealed to the national government to join hands with the County government in seeking a lasting solution.
She noted that teenage pregnancy cases are mostly recorded in day schools adding that perpetrators take advantage of the girls while on their way home.
The Ministry of Health report further indicated that in 2021, 596 girls between the ages 10- 14 were expectant, and 13,458 were aged 15-19 bringing the total to 14,054.
In 2022, 341 pregnancy cases of girls aged between 10-14 and 11,762 cases for ages 15-19 were recorded totaling 12,103.
The report also stated that in 2023, between January to July, 196 girls aged 10-14 were pregnant, while cases of girls aged 15-19 were 7, 270.
