Tackle the high rate of teen pregnancy, Governor decries

Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga has challenged   Education stakeholder in the area to double their efforts in tackling the high rate of teen pregnancies in the county.

Speaking at Ratang’a Girls Secondary School in Ndhiwa Sub- County during one of the mentorship sessions, Wanga said the education of many girls could be jeopardized unless concerted efforts were put in place to address the menace,

“Defilements and teen pregnancies cause school dropouts among our girls. This means we must put modalities in place to rescue our girls from the menace,” Wanga said, urging the girls to say no to any sexual advances by sex pests.

Governor Wanga noted that the latest Kenya Health and Demographic Survey (KHDS) show that the prevalence of teen pregnancies in Homa Bay stands at 33 per cent, saying that the menace is contributing to high poverty levels in the area.

The County CEO further revealed that in order to tackle the menace, she had started an initiative dubbed Governor’s Girls’ mentorship which brings together adolescent girls from primary and secondary schools across the county.

The initiative encompasses mentorship of girls by leaders holding various professional positions in the country.

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Wanga expressed concerns that teen pregnancies will deny Homa Bay women leaders in future if not addressed well.

“Let every girl gather the courage of saying ‘No’ to any person who wants to have sex with her. This is the only way through which we can put teen pregnancies at bay in our county,” Wanga added.

She advised girls to work hard in academics to enable them to become professionals in future.

“Let no girl be discouraged by poverty in their family. Focus on your academics and you will achieve your dreams in life,” she added.

The Governor also called on all stakeholders to join hands in fighting the menace.

“We cannot sit pretty because the statistics show that three out of ten girls have been pregnant or will be pregnant. Let us join hands to end this menace,” she added.

During the mentorship session, more than five thousand girls were given free sanitary pads.

The Managing Director of Softcare, Peter Zhang said they donated pads to curb vulnerability of girls who are hoodwinked to give in to sex in exchange for pads.

Zhang said his organization is committed to promoting education of girls in the county.

“We donated sanitary pads to the girls to improve their menstrual hygiene. We want them to use the sanitary pads so that they can continue with school un-interrupted,” Zhang said.

Zhang said Softcare is committed to empowering girls to ensure they become productive in future.

“The future belongs to young people. Empowering these young girls will enable us to have a productive future generation,” Zhang said.

Ndhiwa Deputy County Commissioner, Lucy Ndemo who was also present, affirmed that security personnel in the area were on high alert in the war against defilement.

“Anybody who defiles a child will face consequences of legal action,” Ndemo said.

The Chairman of Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), Dickens Bula, told girls to protect their integrity by standing firm against people who want to violate their sexual rights.

By Fredrick Odiero