Rachel is writing her KCSE exams at a school in Maili Nne in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, hoping to do well in order to secure a bright future for herself and her baby, who is five months old.
Rachel is 17, and attends school just because her 65-year-old father agreed to support her and the baby.
“When we realised the girl was pregnant, I discussed with her school’s head teacher and we agreed that she should continue with her education,” the father says.
Rachel is part of the numerous statistics in Uasin Gishu, a region which has a high rate of teenage pregnancies.
The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2017 shows that one in four girls between the age of 15 and 19 has already carried a pregnancy. This is above the national average, which is 18 per cent. A new report by the Centre for Reproductive Rights notes that one in five adolescents in Kenya has an unmet need for family planning. The report, Criminalising Adolescence: A Call to Reform the Sexual Offences Act, states that early childbearing is primarily a socio-economic issue that poses unique risks to adolescents, since pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death for adolescent girls globally. John Anampiu, the North Rift Regional Coordinator for the National Council for Population and Development says that teenage pregnancy is an issue in the North Rift counties.
Sex education
“There is a weak healthcare system and low-social economic development among women, which leaves them vulnerable,” Mr Anampiu says. Rachel’s father says there is need to initiate sex education among the youth. “
Sex education is critical; if the young people are not taught, they will learn from other sources and the results may not be pleasant,” he says and argues that sex education will give learners a chance to concentrate on their studies. Advocacy groups too agree that there is need to talk to the youth about reproductive health. Mark Wanjohi, an advocacy officer with DSW Kenya says that girls are exposed to social inequalities.
“We have engaged county governments of Uasin Gishu and Nandi to implement policies focusing on youth sexual and reproductive health services,” Mr Wanjohi says.
The organisation works with 25 youth champions and health promotion officers to reach young people.
He is quick to add that this has not been easy since talking about sexual reproductive health is often misconstrued to mean depopulation especially among the political class who look at numbers in terms of votes. Wanjohi says: “The fact that family planning is about spacing children to allow them to grow healthy seems to be misunderstood by most.”
Some of the youth champions agree that the fate of the youth hangs precariously because there are no structures set to address their sexual and reproductive health.
Susan Makori, a student at the Moi University says that teenage pregnancy is a challenge yet accessing contraception is an even bigger problem to them. “Long-term contraception methods are not easily available for youth and this leaves them with the option to use condoms or go for the emergency contraception pill,” Ms Makori says.
Makori adds that part of her work alongside her fellow champions involves agitating for a budget that accommodates contraception among the youth. Anunsiata Nabwire, also a student at Moi University, concurs but says that sometimes the message they carry is seen as immoral. “To talk to the youth in churches, we have to say that our agenda is to give motivational talks to be accepted. Otherwise, we risk being termed immoral,” Ms Nabwire says.
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