Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) Adhiambo Odhiambo of Kakamega County has rolled up her sleeves to fight the alarming rates of teenage pregnancies and Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the region, especially in Navakholo Division.
Addressing stakeholders in Navakholo, Odhiambo decried the rising case teenage pregnancies in the region, saying in the area alone, 22 girls have tested positive for pregnancy.
“If we don’t engage the girls and their parents in sensitizing them to the dangers of early pregnancy, then we risk having a rotten society in future,” she said, vowing to get to the bottom of it.
Furthermore, she said that the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) both in Kakamega and Bungoma are working with the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) in organizing community dialogues to discuss teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.
“These forums will happen in the entire county more so in the affected areas so that we can hear from the horse’s mouth how we can curb the alarming cases,” Odhiambo stated.
Laura Doresi, FAWE County Coordinator, said the organization is running a project in Bungoma where schools are involved through a programme called Tuseme that empowers girls to speak.
Bungoma County’s sexual and gender-based violence prevalence is 23 per cent compared to the national average of 13 per cent.
Between 2016 – July 2023, data from the county shows that 9,089 cases of SGBV have been recorded for girls aged between 10-17 years, against a total national figure of 18,510.
In addition, data from the Kenya Demographic Health Systems (KDHS) 2022 shows that 62 per cent of Bungoma women have experienced both physical and sexual violence.
It further shows that of all teenage pregnancy cases reported in the country, Bungoma leads with 19 per cent.
By Tony Wafula
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