A special place in my heart for the young mothers sitting the 2026 KCSE

Today, my heart goes out to a very special group of KCSE candidates. The young mothers. The girls who will walk into examination rooms carrying burdens that many of their fellow candidates may never understand. Some are expectant mothers, struggling with the physical demands of pregnancy while trying to concentrate on difficult examination questions.

Others are already mothers, having to sit their examinations knowing that somewhere outside the school compound, a little baby is waiting for them. Some will be thinking about whether their babies have been fed, whether they are sleeping peacefully, whether they are crying or whether the grandmother looking after them is coping. For these girls, KCSE is not just an examination. It is an extraordinary test of academic ability, emotional strength and personal resilience.

Let me make one thing clear. This is not an attempt to celebrate or encourage teenage pregnancies. Teenage pregnancy is a serious social problem, and we must continue doing everything possible to protect our girls from circumstances that interrupt their education and expose them to enormous responsibilities at such tender ages. But condemning teenage pregnancy should never translate into condemning the victims of its consequences. We can discourage early pregnancies without humiliating the young girls who find themselves in that situation. We can uphold moral standards without abandoning compassion. Above all, we can acknowledge their circumstances without pretending that their challenges do not exist.

Our society can be incredibly unforgiving towards young mothers. We are quick to point fingers, whisper behind their backs and pass moral judgments. We describe them as careless, irresponsible and undisciplined. Some people look at a pregnant schoolgirl and immediately conclude that she has ruined her future. Others behave as though she has committed an unforgivable crime against society. We forget that behind every pregnant schoolgirl is a complicated story, and very often, an irresponsible man whose contribution to that pregnancy seems to attract remarkably little public attention.

Where is the man? Where is the boyfriend who impregnated the girl? Where is the adult who took advantage of a school-going child? Where is the person who participated in creating the very circumstances for which the girl is now being publicly punished? Why is society often louder in condemning the pregnant girl than in demanding accountability from the man responsible? Why does the girl carry the shame, the pregnancy, the interruption of her education and the social stigma while the man walks around freely, sometimes boasting about his exploits?

We must confront this double standard. A society that consistently shames pregnant schoolgirls while conveniently overlooking the men responsible is a society that has misplaced its moral priorities. If we are serious about protecting our children, our outrage must be directed towards exploitation, irresponsibility and the culture of impunity that allows men to escape accountability.

But today, I want to move beyond the circumstances that brought these girls into motherhood. I want to celebrate their determination to continue with their education. Imagine sitting for a three-hour examination while carrying an unborn child. Imagine battling morning sickness, exhaustion, backaches and the discomforts of pregnancy, yet having to remain composed enough to interpret a difficult Chemistry or Mathematics question. Imagine being in an examination room while your mind is divided between the paper before you and the little life depending on you.

For those who have already delivered, the challenge is perhaps even more emotionally demanding. A breastfeeding mother may have to spend hours away from her baby. She may be struggling with interrupted sleep, physical exhaustion and the anxiety of leaving her child behind. While other candidates spend their evenings revising, she may be changing nappies, preparing baby formula, breastfeeding or soothing a crying infant. When other candidates wake up to revise, she may have spent much of the night attending to a restless baby.

Yet, despite all these challenges, these young women have shown up. They have reported to examination centres. They have picked up their pens. They are attempting to write the same examination as everyone else. They are refusing to surrender their educational dreams simply because life has taken an unexpected turn.

And when some of these young mothers eventually overcome the odds and post impressive grades, the achievement deserves special recognition. Behind that grade may be sleepless nights, tears, difficult decisions, physical discomfort and an extraordinary determination not to let motherhood become the end of their education. Their results should remind us that a difficult beginning does not necessarily determine the entire course of one's life.

I also want to pay special tribute to the mothers of these young candidates. The grandmothers. The women who have temporarily taken responsibility for their grandchildren so that their daughters can concentrate on their examinations. These are the unsung heroes of this examination season. While their daughters sit in examination rooms, they are at home nursing babies, preparing meals, changing nappies and providing the reassurance that every young mother needs.

Some of these grandmothers are probably sacrificing their own comfort to give their daughters another opportunity. Some may have initially been disappointed, angry or heartbroken when they discovered that their school-going daughters were pregnant. Yet, when the examination season arrived, they put their emotions aside and stepped in. They understood that whatever had happened, their daughters still deserved a future. That is motherhood. That is sacrifice. That is love expressed through action.

To the young mothers sitting KCSE this year, please do not allow society's judgment to define you. Your pregnancy is not your academic identity. Your motherhood is not the end of your ambitions. You may have made mistakes, or you may have been victims of circumstances beyond your control, but neither possibility should rob you of the opportunity to rebuild your future. Write that examination with courage. Give every paper your best. Your child deserves a mother who has not given up on herself.

And to the grandmothers holding the babies while their daughters write examinations, thank you. You are doing more than babysitting. You are helping preserve a young woman's future.

Tonight, as we celebrate the thousands of candidates sitting their KCSE, let us spare a special thought for these young mothers. Let us judge less, encourage more and remember that compassion does not mean abandoning our principles. Sometimes, the people who need our encouragement most are those whose circumstances make it easiest for society to condemn them.

May these young mothers find the strength to finish their examinations, the courage to pursue their dreams and the opportunity to give their children a better tomorrow. Their stories are not over.

Ashford is a teacher of English and Literature and writes on education and social affairs.