One in five girls aged between 15 and 19 in Kenya is either pregnant or has given birth already, a new report shows.
In some counties like Narok, two out of five teenagers are either young mothers or are on their way to parenthood, the latest survey by the National Council on Population and Development reveals.
The report lays bare the teenage pregnancy crisis, a prick in the conscience of a nation that prides itself as having made strides in education, child protection laws, economic growth and technological advances.
As at the end of 2019, men had stolen the innocence of and made 379,573 girls, including 10-year-olds, miss their monthly periods.
The capital Nairobi, a city with more than four million people, has the biggest underage sex crisis with 2,432 girls aged below 14 years conceiving.
It is followed by Nakuru with 1,748, Kajiado (1,523), Kericho (1,006), Homa Bay (957) and Garissa (901).
On the other hand, only 14 teenagers in this age bracket from Isiolo County got pregnant, Lamu (22), (Embu (25), Kilifi (53), and Elgeyo Marakwet (59).
The bad scenario from Nairobi remained the same as the report looked at older girls, with the city recording 24,106 pregnant girls aged between 15 and 19 years.
Nakuru was next with 17,019, followed by Meru (15,353), Narok (14,052), Bungoma (13,920), Kiambu (13,128) and Trans Nzoia (11,687).
Counties with the lowest numbers for pregnant teens aged between 15 and 19 were Lamu (1,285), Embu (2,126), Wajir (2,684), Isiolo (2,851) and Nyeri (2,508).
Overall, Narok County leads the list of shame with 40 percent of young girls, the majority of school children, being mothers or expecting babies.
It is followed by Homa Bay (33 percent), West Pokot (29 percent) and Tana River and Nyamira at 28 percent. At six percent, Murang’a County has the lowest prevalence rate.
Nyeri (seven percent), Embu (eight percent), Elgeyo-Marakwet (nine percent) and Nyandarua (10 percent) also rank among devolved units with a low incidence of the shame.
Nyeri (seven percent), Embu (eight percent), Elgeyo-Marakwet (nine percent) and Nyandarua (10 per) also rank among devolved units with a low incidence of the shame.
(H/T Nation)