BY JAMES ONYANGO

Teenage pregnancies in Migori County continue to erase the educational achievements and sabotage the economic potential of most of our young vibrant generation.

This has seen many dreams come to a halt, raising incompetence levels and degrading the good morals of young people. 

Young people have been thrown into these unwanted commitments leaving them with no alternatives but to face the shameful wrath of their circumstances. This has adversely affected the lives of the youths in all spheres of development.

Migori country teen pregnancies have been on the rise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by high school dropout rates. 

According to the latest Migori County Family Planning Strategic Plan report, girls in the region are subjected to early parenthood at the age of 15-19. This is 24 percent of the total number of girls in that age bracket; clearly higher than the national rate which stands at 18 percent.

This has been happening for reasons well known reasons to us, namely: low use of contraceptives among the adolescents, and the rise of gender-based, domestic and sexual violence.

We are in a season where one health mistake can trigger serious medical and economic complications to our youth. The saying “the pumpkin gives birth and the fence has the trouble” perfectly explains the situation of our teenage girls and we need to change our ways soon if we are to provide a better life for them.

We need to embrace age-appropriate sex education and create awareness on various family planning methods through engaging teenage girls as stakeholders to advance interventions tailored to their needs and concerns.

I particularly call upon the Migori County Woman Representative as a person who, based on her gender, is able to sympathize with the kind of trauma our young girls undergo. 

I urge her to take a lead through the affirmative action fund to at least provide for the allocation of funds for sanitary towels for girls in the county. This will go a long way in protecting girls from giving in to the demands of sexual predators who promise them money for pads.

Also, County Health Ministers in collaboration with the police department should take hold of the perpetrators and immediate action taken in accordance to the rule of law.

The county government should also help create awareness among young adolescents and educate them on the important use of contraceptives and family planning services. With this on the table, we would likely save a generation.

Mr Onyango is a NAYA youth advocate in Migori County