Lamu parents on the spot over rising teen pregnancies, child marriages
Lamu Governor Issa Timamy. He wants parents abetting teen pregnancies and early marriages prosecuted.
What you need to know:
- Cases are rampant in Hindi Division and perpetrated by fellow learners and adults.
- Security and Education departments say girls as young as 13 years are impregnated and left to suffer.
Over 70 per cent of pregnant schoolgirls in Lamu are under-18, according to county officials.
Security and Education departments say girls as young as 13 years are impregnated and left to suffer, with most of them dropping out of school.
County Commissioner Irungu Macharia and Governor Issa Timamy said the cases are worrying and are rampant in Hindi Division and perpetrated by fellow learners and adults. Mr Macharia blamed poor parenting and neglect for the rapid rise in early pregnancies.
“It’s unfortunate seeing girls of between 18 and 13 years being impregnated and dropping out of school. I am sending a stern warning to those preying on our schoolgirls that your days are numbered. We will ensure you’re arrested and prosecuted,” Mr Macharia said.
Mr Timamy directed the security department to ensure parents who hide pregnant schoolgirls instead of reporting such matters to the authorities are arrested and charged. He accused parents of encouraging their daughters to engage in sex, thus ruining their future.
“What kind of a parent are you, hiding your girl behind doors once impregnated, instead of rushing to the nearest police station and reporting such a criminal act and ensuring the predator is arrested and charged?
“Such parents should also be arrested and prosecuted. If we get four or five parents nabbed because of such behaviours, they will serve as a good example to others,” said Mr Timamy.
Poverty
Lamu West sub-county director of education John Nzinga cited poverty as a key contributor to the teen pregnancies, which, he added, shatter many dreams. He said some families use their girls as a source of income and some parents abandon their daughters.
“The girls, particularly those from poor background families, face tough times. They are used as breadwinners. This exposes them to predators, who impregnate and leave them to suffer. The issue is affecting their education and general academic performance,” said Mr Nzinga.
In Bar’goni within Boni forest, women’s rights activist Nana Abuli said illiteracy, especially among the Boni, is one of the leading causes of teenage pregnancies. She faulted mothers for being at the forefront of promoting early marriages and teenage pregnancies by allowing their children to engage in transactional sex.
“I blame the mothers. They always encourage the girls to resort to transactional sex, a situation that has subsequently elevated teenage pregnancies. Once a mother is given food, miraa and muguka, they become more than willing to give out their daughters to sex predators. That must end,” she said.
