At least 27,000 girls dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy

Over 27,000 school-going girls have dropped out of school in Uasin Gishu County within the last four years due to teenage pregnancy. 

The girls aged between 12 and 18 years terminated their primary and secondary school education as a result of adolescent pregnancy according to Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno.

Chemno said the teenage pregnancy figures in the county were alarming while pointing fingers at boda boda operators and tutors as the main perpetrators of the vice.

“It is unfortunate that the perpetrators are still walking scot-free in the villages after impregnating our girls,” said the DG.

He alleged that about 70 public primary and secondary schools in the county have been affected by the alarming number of drop-outs of teenage girls within the ages of 12 and 18 years.

“The high adolescent pregnancy among girls within the age bracket is a disaster which calls for a concerted effort among parents, teachers and other education stakeholders to combat the vice which is threatening to get out of hand in the county,” said Chemno.

He made the remarks during the disbursement of bursary worth Ksh 124 million to 19,674 bright students from needy families drawn from the 30 wards within the devolved unit in a ceremony that was presided over by Governor Jackson Mandago.

The DG said it was high time security agencies moved with speed to arrest the perpetrators so that they could face the full force of the law.

“The police should move with speed and take the people who have ruined the lives of schoolgirls to face defilement charges in court,” he said.

Chemno said the most hit were public primary schools located in interior parts of the county.

“There is an urgent need for aggressive awareness campaigns to be rolled out in rural areas in the county where more school-going girls have been forced to terminate their studies after being impregnated by their teachers and Boda Boda riders,” Chemno claimed.