By Evelyn Sasi
Adolescent pregnancy remains one of Kenya’s most pressing but often misunderstood challenges. Adolescent mothers live in exclusion, shame, and lost potential, as society continues to punish girls for becoming pregnant, while ignoring the systems and structures that fail to protect them in the first place.
Thousands of girls between the ages of 10 and 19 become pregnant each year. Most of them often face stigma from school, peers, healthcare providers, and even their own family members. When found pregnant, most times they are forced to drop out of school, despite Article 53 of the Kenyan constitution that guarantees every child the right to education. This marks the end of their school and the beginning of a life marked with hardships. The challenge doesn’t end at school; this extends to their homes as they face rejection, especially when pregnancy is seen as bringing shame to the family. Some of the adolescent mothers are forced into early marriages, while others are left to raise their children alone without any financial or emotional support. The burden of childcare, healthcare, and survival falls entirely on them at a time when they should still be growing, learning, and building their future.
Statistics reveal that nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls in Kenya have already begun childbearing. And yet instead of care, they are met with silence or blame. Society girls try to protect themselves, yet lack the necessary tools to do so. Access to accurate information about sexual reproductive health remains a luxury, not a right, especially in rural and marginalized communities. Sometimes the health facilities may have the services, but the staff are not friendly to the young people; some girls even report mistreatment or denial of services altogether.
Moreover, while the adolescent mothers are being judged and excluded, the men involved in these pregnancies are rarely held accountable. In most cases, these are older men exploiting the economic vulnerabilities and silence surrounding adolescent sexuality. The. Laws that exist to protect children from sexual exploitation are weakly enforced, leaving survivors to carry the consequences alone
Reintegration into school remains another major challenge. Although there is a national policy allowing adolescent mothers to return to school after giving birth, its implementation remains inconsistent. Some schools openly resist it, while others create conditions hostile enough to discourage girls from returning at all. Without education, their chances of breaking the cycle of poverty diminish completely.
It’s our collective responsibility to protect and empower young people. As a country, we owe adolescent mothers more than blame; we owe them justice, compassion, and a real chance to rise again.
Evelyn Sasi is a Youth advocate at Network for Adolescents and Youth of Africa
