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By Stanley Ongwae
Migori, Kenya: Attempts by a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidate to terminate her five-month pregnancy have landed her in hospital.
The incident, which took place at a chemist in Migori County’s Awendo, has also seen police arrest one of the people suspected to have assisted her in the attempted abortion.
Awendo OCPD Paul Kuria said one suspect was arrested immediately the girl’s parents complained to the police.
“We received the report from her parents and so far the girl has recorded a statement with the police. We are planning to arraign the suspect, who aided her to do the act, before court,” said the OCPD.
The KCSE candidate, who is receiving treatment at Rapcom Hospital, told the police that an attendant at the chemist had tried to help her terminate the pregnancy but it ended tragically.
Speaking from the hospital bed, the candidate said her boyfriend — a fellow student — had taken her to Dede Dispensary, which is the nearest health facility from their home so that they could help them procure the abortion, but they were sent away.
“After they refused, my boyfriend gave me Sh4,500 to look for another clinic before abandoning me,” she narrated, adding that she went to a chemist where the unsafe abortion was done.
Enforce tough regulations
“After he was done, I felt sharp pain from the abdomen followed by oozing of blood before he told me he was through and I could just walk to school,” she said.
Her sister, with whom she stays, noticed something was amiss and took her to the hospital.
The hospital administrator, Michael Oyata, told The Standard the girl was admitted at the facility in bad condition.
“The girl was received into this facility in very bad condition and upon examining her, we discovered that a placenta was retained, a fact that suggested there was either an abortion or birth,” said Mr Ayata.
He said numerous cases of abortion are reported on a regular basis, an issue that he said turned the hospital into a referral facility for the dangerous cases.
The incident, among others in the region, has forced Migori County’s department of health to enforce tough regulations and standards on health practitioners in a bid to curb the increasing cases of illegal abortion.
County Executive Officer in charge of Health Iscar Oluoch said her ministry has constituted a team that would inspect all clinics, chemists and other health facilities in efforts to end illegal abortions procured in these places.
Migori Governor Zachary Obado’s wife, Hellen, joined Ms Oluoch in condemning the vice, saying it was against the law and risky to girls’ lives.
She appealed to parents to be vigilant on the matter and told off health officers aiding illegal abortions.
Mrs Obado appealed to relevant authorities to take action against anyone found aiding illegal abortion in the area.
Highest number of cases
“Some of these abortions are carried out by quacks. This has risked lives of our girls and no one should allow this to happen. Action should be taken against these quacks,” she said.
Last year, a study revealed that Kenya and Uganda have earned the dubious distinction of achieving the highest number of backstreet abortions in the world with almost half a million women, including 10-year-olds, exposed to the vice.
The two countries are however true to trends in East Africa with the region leading the rest of the world in the procurement of unsafe abortions, according to data covering the last decade as well as last year.
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