Stay away, Homa Bay principal tells eight pregnant students

HOMA BAY: The academic future of eight girls from Kobala Mixed Secondary School hangs in the balance after they were sent home for being pregnant.

The eight have now been left with the option of either joining any other school which may accommodate them in their current condition, waiting to rejoin the school upon delivery or entirely quitting school.

The students, who comprise four Form One students, three Form Two students and one Form Three student, have already been cleared by the institution and have left with all their belongings.

The students’ parents told The Standard that school Principal David Mosoti had decided to expel the students but promised to refund their school fees if they secure a place in other schools.

GO HOME

One parent, Michael (not his real name), said he received communication from the school saying there was urgent information he needed to get from school concerning his daughter.

He said it was at the principal’s office that he was informed of his daughter’s pregnancy and was also asked to take her home.

Michael says the headteacher informed them that it was not wise for the girls to continue being in the same school due to possible discrimination and psychological torture the girl may undergo in her state.

“We thought the principal would listen and we would work together to find the best way of helping these children but he insisted they have to leave the school,” he said.

The parent now says he has no choice but to let his daughter stay at home until she delivers before she can go to another school.

Mr Mosoti, however, denied allegations that he expelled the students saying the decision to send the girls home was arrived at by the parents and himself for the girls’ good.

He said some parents, after realising that their girls were pregnant, had proposed to transfer them to other schools to keep them away from the alleged boyfriends.

“I did not give any student an expulsion letter. I reasoned with the parents on what would be the impact of having the students here in their current state. No parent has since come back having changed his or her mind about the decision,” he said.

The principal said the school has had incidences where students get pregnant and procuring an abortion without the teacher’s knowledge.

“We have had incidences where a student misses school for a week or so and when you inquire from the parents they say the student is sick only for it to later emerge that they procured an abortion,” he said.

The principal said that it was with this background in mind that come January, students seen exhibiting pregnancy signs were taken for testing.

He said more than ten girls were taken to Miriu Health Centre between January and February where it was confirmed that eight were pregnant.

Mosoti said the school’s guidance and counselling department took the students through rigorous counselling before they disclosed the people behind their pregnancies.

One girl was allegedly impregnated by a fellow student and classmate at the institution, one was impregnated by a longtime boyfriend who is allegedly the father to her first born child while three others said their boyfriends or neighbours, known to their parents, were responsible for the pregnancies.

DECEMBER HOLIDAYS

The principal said they suspect the girls were impregnated during the December holidays and faulted the parents for being negligent and irresponsible, leaving their children vulnerable, especially during the holidays.

Reached for comment, County Director of Education Stephen Barongo said he is not aware of the going ons at the institution.

“I need to inquire because I do not have any information to that effect,” Barongo told The Standard on phone.

Previous reports have shown that up to 13,000 Kenyan girls drop out of school every year as a result of pregnancy, and about 17 per cent of girls have had sex before they turn 15.

With the county’s high rate of early marriages, poverty and HIV prevalence, these girls may join the statistics if they fail to go back to class.