Narok and Meru counties lead troubling statistics as teenage pregnancy crisis deepens
Narok and Meru counties have Kenya's highest teenage pregnancy rates, with nearly one in five registered births occurring to mothers aged 19 and under.
What you need to know:
- Narok and Meru counties have Kenya's highest teenage pregnancy rates.
- Nationally, 11.3 per cent of all registered live births in 2024 were to teenage mothers, with rural areas significantly outpacing urban centres.
In the rolling hills of Narok County, where Maasai traditions meet modern Kenya, nearly one in five registered births tells a troubling story. These are not the celebrations of planned families or adult mothers welcoming their children—these are babies born to girls who should still be in school, still dreaming of their futures, still discovering who they want to become.
The latest Kenya Vital Statistics Report has laid bare a stark reality: Narok County records the highest proportion of teenage mothers in the country, with 17.5 per cent of all registered live births occurring to girls aged 19 and under. Just behind it sits Meru County at 17.4 per cent, painting a picture of young lives forever altered by early motherhood.
Socio-economic divides
Across Kenya, the numbers paint a sobering portrait of adolescent pregnancy. Nationally, 11.3 per cent of all registered live births in 2024 occurred to teenage mothers—meaning that for every 100 babies born and registered, more than 11 were delivered by girls who had barely emerged from childhood themselves.
The Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), working alongside Civil Registration Services, compiled these figures according to United Nations standards, revealing disparities that stretch across county lines and socio-economic divides.
"The report emphasises the essential role of vital statistics in planning, monitoring, and evaluating progress towards national and international development goals," explains Dr Macdonald Obudho, Director General of KNBS. "I hope this report will inform effective policies and programmes, advance our national development agenda, and further strengthen Kenya's Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System as a core component of the National Statistical System."
Twenty-six counties recorded teenage birth rates above the national average, including Nyamira, Migori, Kisii, Kitui, Vihiga, Kakamega, Samburu, and Trans Nzoia—all featuring amongst the top ten counties with the highest teenage birth prevalence.
The geographical divide tells its own story. Whilst Narok and Meru grapple with teenage pregnancy rates approaching one in five births, counties like Mandera and Wajir record dramatically lower figures—3.6 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively. Urban centres including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kiambu also registered notably lower cases of teenage pregnancy, highlighting the complex interplay between location, opportunity, and outcome.
This urban-rural divide reflects deeper issues: poverty, limited educational opportunities, and restricted access to family planning services—factors that research consistently links to higher teenage pregnancy rates.
The data reveals that three in every ten registered live births between 2020 and 2024 were to mothers aged 20 to 24, whilst one in every ten were to teenage mothers. Of the 1,110,563 registered live births in 2024, the vast majority—98.6 per cent—occurred in health facilities, suggesting that whilst access to medical care during delivery has improved, prevention of early pregnancy remains a challenge.
The report shows that the total number of live births registered nationally decreased from 1,192,884 in 2023 to 1,110,563 in 2024, whilst the country's sex ratio at birth increased from 104 in 2023 to 106 in 2024. In 2024, nine intersex new-borns were registered amongst the total of 1,120,507 current births, which included 9,864 stillbirths.
The statistics reveal telling correlations between education and early pregnancy. Registered live births to mothers with secondary education accounted for 43.5 per cent of all registered births, followed by those with primary education at 25.6 per cent and tertiary education at 21.9 per cent. Mothers who had never attended school represented 3.2 per cent of registered births, whilst 5.8 per cent of cases did not specify educational background.
Single mothers contributed 13.4 per cent of registered live births, whilst 957,942 cases occurred amongst married mothers during the review period.
Technology-driven initiative
The Kenya Health and Demographic Survey (KDHS) shows that teenage pregnancy prevalence amongst girls aged 15-19 stood at 15 per cent in 2022—a significant improvement from 23 per cent in 2003 and 18 per cent in 2014. This means approximately 15 out of every 100 teenage girls in that age group have experienced pregnancy, demonstrating both progress and the persistent nature of the challenge.
Early childbearing carries heightened risks of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, making prevention efforts not just a social imperative but a public health priority.
Recognising the scale of the challenge, the government has launched innovative approaches to combat teenage pregnancy. In February last year, former Health CS Susan Nakhumicha announced a technology-driven initiative dubbed the "Whole Government and Whole Society approach."
"Digital tools will help us track and identify perpetrators of gender-based violence," Nakhumicha explained when launching the campaign. "Our criminal justice system should fast-track prosecution of offenders who include intimate partners to act as a deterrent measure."
The initiative utilises technology to explore victims' records and identify perpetrators of sexual violence whilst equipping technical personnel and administrative officers with necessary skills to handle cases effectively and ensure justice for survivors.
The report calls for enhanced investment in adolescent health education, reproductive services, and community engagement to address the underlying socio-economic and cultural factors contributing to early pregnancies. The data also shows an increase in registered births of Kenyans occurring outside the country, particularly from the USA, UK, and UAE.
Regarding stillbirths, the total number of registered cases remained relatively stable from 2020 to 2023 at over 11,600, before dropping to 9,864 in 2024. Notably, male cases consistently outnumbered female cases throughout the review period.
