By Tony Wafula
Bungoma County has reported a sudden surge in teen pregnancies thus threatening to cut short the pursuit for education among school-going girls.
The data shows that over 6, 000 girls were reported pregnant within during the Covid-19 lockdown period.
Bungoma County Women Representative Catherine Wambilianga warned perpetrators who prey on school going children.
She spoke during an inspection tour of Gender Based Violence (GBV) Rescue Centre at Ndengelwa.
She said that the centre was put up by the national government to help fight the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) lauding the National Government Affirmative Action Funds (NGAAF) for the efforts to put up the centre.
“This centre serves an important role in this county, I humbly congratulate NGAAF for the fantastic work done”, the legislator said.
Wambilianga added that many school going children in Bungoma County delivered while sitting for their examinations.
In her address, Public Service and Gender Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Linah Chelimo asked the public to report any form of sexual harassment to the nearest police station or call on a toll free number 116.
The CAS noted that the government will avail resource personnel to the centre that will help in handling defilement, incest and drug abuse cases in Bungoma County.
In her appeal, she asked defilement victims to report the matter to the relevant authorities and visit healthcare facilities for examination within 72 hours of the incident.
She asked county commissioners to work closely with children departments and help end defilement, incest and drug abuse among other immoralities.
Bungoma County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti said that issues of defilement, incest, family battles and drug abuse are on the rise in the county asking different departments to work closely with security teams to end the vices.
‘’We have tried to manage the situation but our efforts have hit a snag, I want to appeal to all departments to combine efforts and advocate against such”, Kimiti noted.
Kimiti urged National Government Officers (NGO) to be on the forefront in fighting GBV in the community.
