By Mercy Dalizu
In Kenya, teenage pregnancy continues to be a rising problem all over the country. Stakeholders continue to debate on this matter and blame each other. The question is: how do we liberate our girls from this pandemic called teenage pregnancy?
Girls who get minimal education are most likely to become mothers at a younger age due to a lack of information. Studies on adolescent sexuality and pregnancy are very limited in our country. Teenage pregnancy is most likely to occur among poor communities, as 21% of women aged 15-19 in the lowest wealth quintile reported to have been pregnant, as compared to 8% in the higher wealth quintile.
Teenage pregnancies are a major challenge for socioeconomic development because they deprive young girls of the opportunity to further their education and attain their career goals. It also exposes them and their children to major health risks. According to the World Health Organization, “Pregnancy and childhood complications are the leading cause of death among girls 15-19 years globally.’’ To turn the tide and protect our young girls from teen pregnancies, there is an urgent need to address systematic drivers of teen pregnancies by fully funding and consistently implementing cost-effective programs.
Teenage pregnancy in Kenya needs to remain at the top of the government’s political agenda. When teenage pregnancy enters public discourse, often triggered by certain events, it often gets buried and we continue to focus on other topics. The last time this issue headlined and drew public uproar was during the national examination period in 2018 with reports of several young girls pregnant or giving birth while sitting for either their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination or Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination.
Efforts to address teenage pregnancies and other sexual and reproductive health matters are resisted by parents, religious leaders, political leaders and stakeholders despite the mounting evidence that young people are initiating sex earlier and earlier. Proven interventions like comprehensive sex education (CSE) are also often dismissed with the view that they would encourage young people to indulge in sex. To address this challenge decisively, evidence must play a central role in determining interventions so that the problem can be extinguished from the root cause.
Mercy Dalizu, is a youth advocate at NAYA
