By Tony Wafula
Bungoma county first lady Caroline Wangamati has expressed the need for all stakeholders within the county to come together to curb the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the region.
Speaking during the launch of Teenage Awareness Month at Ndengelwa primary School in Kanduyi Constituency, Wangamati urged all leaders to level up and speak out so as to put a stop to the rising numbers of teenage pregnancies in Bungoma.
She expressed concern that the silence by the victims was a contributing factor to why the vice was on the rise.
“We need to change the conversations in our gatherings, our media and our public and private meetings from inconsequential things to issues that touch on the lives of our children because our silence is costing us entire generations” she said.
She encouraged the young girls in attendance not to shy away from seeking help.
She urged parents to fully take up their parental responsibilities noting that students should focus more on their studies for a bright future.
Wangamati stressed on the need for advocacy campaigns for the boy child in Kenya arguing that he was at risk of being forgotten and becoming vulnerable to dangers such as school dropout and drug abuse.
Bungoma County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti, who is also the chair of the County Technical Working Group, committed to rally all provincial administrators to ensure culprits are brought to book and victims are protected and assisted.
He noted that the national government is keen on ensuring that there is 100% transition of students from primary schools to secondary schools.
Data from the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) revealed that 4,000 girls from Bungoma County were impregnated in the first quarter of 2021.
