Alarm as Nandi County records 6,000 teen pregnancies in nine months

Nandi Deputy Governor Yulita Mitei 

It is estimated that atleast 6,000 teenage girls in Nandi county have fallen pregnant since schools closed in March due to Covid-19, Deputy Governor Yulita Mitei has revealed.

The deputy county chief who was speaking on Sunday at the catholic church in Eldoret said the number was double the pregnancies in the second half of last year. 

She said the county is staring at a crisis of magnificent proportions that threatens an entire generation if this issue of teenage pregnancies is not properly tackled as it would lead to more school drop outs.

The deputy governor said the number could be higher because only hospital births were recorded and there are many others who may have delivered at home or decided to carry out abortions. 

READ ALSO: Governor Sang has failed; Nandi Speaker Joshua Kiptoo says

"There are many others who  never reached the health facilities and still many others who decided to abort. This simply points to a crisis that we must all face," she said.

She went ahead to say that many girls miss out on opportunities due to pregnancies and therefore all stakeholders should play their roles to combat this crisis and that it's time for communities to support child mothers to continue with their education and other activities in the society.

It is estimated that 20,000 girls will drop out of school by the end of the year in Northrift counties while the nationwide total could be in the tens of thousands. 

Nandi and Trans Nzoia counties have recorded the highest numbers of teenage pregnancies in the entire Northrift since March.

Bishop Wilson Kurui who is the chairman of the clergy in the region said parents have a responsibility to guide their teenage girls so that their future is not ruined by unwanted pregnancies.