Charles Oduor 
Teenage pregnancies are a global problem occurring in high, middle and law income countries around the world; however such pregnancies are more common among marginalized communities due to poverty lack of education and unemployment.
Kenya officially the Republic of Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa. The total estimated population of more than 47,564,296 million people in 2019 according to the latest census figures while Men account for 23,548,056 of the population while women hit 24,014,716. Quick mathematics shows women are more by a mere 466,660.
Kenya is the 29th most populous country.Kenya’s capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. Kisumu City is the third largest city and also an inland port on Lake Victoria. Other important urban centers include Nakuru and Eldoret. As of 2020, Kenya is the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and South Africa.
Kenya has 8 regions, 47 counties which are being led by governors and 290 Constituencies which are being led by Member of Parliament.
Several factors contribute to teenage pregnancies and births. In many societies in Kenya girls are under pressure to marry and bear children early. At least 39% of age and 12% before the age of 15years according to Kenya demographic and health survey (KDHS) indicates.
In some societies motherhood is valued and marriage or union and child bearing maybe the best of the limited options available in Kenya.
The statistics implies that approximately one in every five teenage girls of same age brackets have either had a live birth or are pregnant. The rate increases rapidly with age from 3% among girls aged 15years to 40% among girls aged 19years according to KDHS.
The data that was realized by national council for population dialogue on ending teenage pregnancy in Kenya. The meeting held early march 2020 in Nairobi brought hundreds of teenagers, parents, teachers religious leaders, county and national governments leaders, among others stakeholders.
The wellbeing of thousands of girls in Kenya could be at risk with reports of huge numbers of unintended teen pregnancies since the start of COVID-19 lockdown.
Media reports citing data from a government-managed health information system have stated that thousands of adolescent girls may have visited health facilities for antenatal services in different counties between January and May 2020. The figure for the whole country, it is feared, may run into more thousands thus students are not going to school soon.
Since containment measures in Kenya were put in place, including closing schools and restricting movement, accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services has become very challenging for girls and women. This is on top of cultural expectations surrounding abstinence, which already impacted young people’s confidence in seeking sexual and reproductive health services.
According to the data It is alarming that so many teenage girls have fallen pregnant during lockdown, which can have lifelong consequences for them and also the country at large. They must be extremely concerned about their wellbeing and their access to health care and other support services.
According to the WHO, complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are already the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally. Pregnant girls and young mothers face even greater risks in crises such as the ongoing pandemic corona virus.
The question is (What we are looking at is it an extremely serious and widespread health and social emergency for girls which will have long-term implications for their futures?)
Evidence from past epidemics indicates that resources are often diverted from routine health services, which further reduces access to sexual and reproductive health services, as well as maternal, new-born and child health services.
As the government continues to ensure the spread of COVID-19 is minimized, it is important that we mitigate the gendered fall-out for the pandemic that is affecting children and in particular adolescent girls in Kenya.
It is vital that the government ensures that restrictions on movement don’t limit access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, protection and psychological support services. Government and healthcare partners should consider age-responsive positive sexuality education in online and distant learning packages and continue to sensitize and encourage communities to embrace sexual and reproductive health-seeking behaviors. We must ensure that girls and women can leave home and access services in person or via tele-health.
Both the national government and county government should be prepared for bombshell of new babies born in the month of December 2020, January 2021, February 2021 and March 2021.
The teenage pregnancy situation varies by county with some counties being disproportionately affected than others. Counties in western region are not left behind.
In Kenya, high-risk of early pregnancy has long been a societal challenge. Government demographic data from 2014, the latest available, show that 15 percent of girls aged 15-19 had already given birth, and another three percent were pregnant with their first child
School closures have cut off girls from teachers who can sound the alarm in suspected cases of abuse at home, and students have been left idle and often unchaperoned by busy parents. Restrictions on movement have also made it harder for girls to access contraceptives and family planning services, and mandatory curfews have trapped girls in homes with predatory family members and neighbors.
A quick trend analysis shows that Nairobi County is leading with 11,795 teenage pregnancies in the period Jan-May 2020. This is slightly higher than last year’s figures in the same period where there were 11,410 cases reported. Kakamega County is a close second with 6,686 cases compared to 8,109 cases last year. Machakos County, that has been the focus of the latest public outcry on teen pregnancy ranks number 14 with 3,966 cases registered this year compared to 4,710 cases last year. From all the counties, the total numbers reported for the period January-May 2020 are 151,433 compared to 175,488 for the same period in 2019.
It is important to note that the KHIS data only captures cases reported in the health sector and so it is possible that there are many other pregnant girls who are not counted because they have not been to the health centers. On the other hand, briefings from the Ministry of Health in the past week indicate that these numbers also capture multiple visits and hence are not reflective of the exact number of pregnancies.
By Imelda Lihavi
