Incest, rape leading cause of pupil pregnancy in Lamu, officials

Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama addressing the media. [Boniface Okendo/Standard]

Officials are concerned over soaring number of pupils dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancies.

Hongwe division in Lamu West has been marked by the officials as "most affected" with 10 Class Seven pupils dropping out of school this year.

Some of the conceptions are out of incest, if not, defilement by close relatives or neighbours.

County Director of Education Joshua Kaaga appealed to parents and teachers to fight against the menace and expose the men responsible amidst claims that the perpetrators were shielded from justice.

Speaking yesterday at Bahari Secondary School, Mr Kaaga regretted that some victims were ambushed on their way to school and violated.

"Girls should stop using shortcut routes. It is time parents also talked to their daughters about sexuality," said Kaaga.

Area MP Stanley Muthama (right) warned parents who opt for kangaroo courts to solve sexual offences of dire consequences, saying the cases belonged to State prosecutors.

He encouraged the locals to report the cases to grassroots administrators or police, even as the pair was blamed for backing the "Kangaroo justice".

Of focus are the 10 cases of Hongwe, where the local administrators and police have not taken formal action against the offenders.

Hindi Ward has also been mentioned. A Class Five from the Ward gave birth last month at King Fahad Hospital after she was defiled by a neighbour while going to a shop.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2014-2018 report says young girls experience a higher risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy compared to older women.

The top five counties with high prevalence of teenage pregnancies are listed as Narok (40 per cent), followed by Homa Bay (33 per cent), West Pokot (29 per cent) and Tana-River and Nyamira with 28 per cent each.