Early childbearing can increase risks for newborns as well as young mothers. Babies born to teenage mothers face higher risks of low birth weight among infants, prolonged and difficult labour, haemorrhage among other severe complications.
According to the latest statistics from the Global Childhood Kenya has the third-highest teen pregnancy rates with 82 births per 1,000 births.
Kiambu county has recently been on the spot following its high record of teenage pregnancies among young girls.
A recent survey conducted by the Kenya Data and Health survey 2021 shows that majority of females who visited prenatal clinics in the region are aged between 10 and 14.
The report further indicated that between January 2022 and May 2022, 378 teenage girls have visited prenatal clinics.
The alarming numbers have irked local leaders such as Kiambu County Director of Gender Olympia Karimi who stated that they are currently working with the county government to sensitize communities as part of stringent measures meant to help control the situation.
Speaking during an interview with KNA, Ms. Karimi who lamented that they lack financial support to properly execute the task, explained that they are currently holding sensitization meetings through the Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) working committees
“We lack financial support to mobilize parents and communities to attend sensitization meetings. We therefore ask partners to join in ,” Karimi said.
Residents within the area have decried the situation calling for immediate action from the authorities.
One Mary Chebet, a mother of three expressed; “It is traumatizing as a parent to see your baby having a baby, my daughter got pregnant when she was 13 years after her KCPE It was not easy for everyone in the family but I accepted as a parent and fully supported her. She enrolled in a day school so that she can fully breastfeed the child and I took care of the baby when she was learning,”
