Teenage pregnancies, early marriages threaten girls' education in Kajiado

Rising teenage pregnancies, early marriages and gender-based violence are threatening efforts to keep girls in school in Kajiado County, education officials have warned.

The Ministry of Education has called for concerted efforts involving government agencies, parents, communities and other stakeholders to address the challenges, which continue to undermine girls' education in the county.

Kajiado County Director of Education Dr Martin Cheruiyot said the situation required a coordinated response, warning that fragmented interventions were failing to adequately address the factors pushing girls out of school.

"The situation here for our girls is not good. We need to do something better," Dr Cheruiyot said.

He said teenage pregnancies are on the rise among schoolgirls, with some learners forced to abandon their studies before completing their education.

"As for now, we need to be brutal. We can't have more than ten girls in a class missing learning because of early pregnancies," he said.

According to Cheruiyot, outdated cultural practices, poor road networks and disjointed interventions by organisations and government agencies involved in education and child protection were among the factors contributing to the problem. He said the Ministry would bring together government and non-governmental organisations to establish a more coordinated approach to protecting girls and improving their retention in school.

The CDE also urged parents and communities to work closely with education officials to identify the circumstances exposing girls to early marriages, teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence, noting that keeping girls in school could not be achieved by the education sector alone. He said communities, parents and other government agencies had a critical role in creating a safe environment for learners.

Cheruiyot further called on communities to back initiatives aimed at protecting girls from abuse and early marriage while ensuring they remain in school until they complete their education. The Ministry said stronger collaboration among stakeholders would be key to reducing teenage pregnancies, early marriages and gender-based violence, and to improving the retention of girls in schools across Kajiado County.