Kajiado teen mothers get free daycare, empowerment centre

The daycare was dedicated to prayer after opening. [Courtesy] Teen mothers in Kajiado can now breathe a sigh of relief after an NGO in collaboration with the Kajiado North Sub-county office opened a free daycare for them. The centre to be managed by A PACK A MONTH will also serve as an empowerment centre for the mothers seeking to have a second chance to complete their education. Women's rights activist Ms Jackline Saleiyan said the centre was opened in line with this year's International Women's Day celebrations with the theme of investing in women to accelerate progress. "The realisation of this is a result of great community support and partnership through Ngong Business Community, Ministry of Interior and Government Administration, Clergy, Civil Society Organizations and the area MCA," she said. Saleiyan said the centre will be open in the morning so that the teen mothers can drop their children and pick them up in the evening after school. Women's Rights activist Jackeline Saleiyan. According to her, on weekends and holidays, the teens will be empowered and taught life skills. "Adolescent and teen mothers who are survivors of Sexual and Genger Based Violence already have a lot of healing to do, we need to hold their hands so that we do not lose them altogether. With daycare being costly for their income level, most of them give up school to raise their children as the few shillings the family gets caters for basic needs of which daycare isn't," she said. Saleiyan said stakeholders from the corporate sector should put in more effort to ensure the future of the girls is secure. Her sentiments were echoed by Assistant County Commissioner Mule Komora who said the centre will cater for those girls who are survivors of SGBV and those who have no alternative care for their babies. Stakeholders joined hands in cutting the ribbon as the free daycare for teen mothers was opened. "Even as we put these measures in place, we humbly ask our men to stay away from underage girls and allow them to study," Komora said. He said measures are being put in place to ensure perpetrators are firmly dealt with. Ward Representative Mbiriri Mwaura said the move was in the right direction towards securing the future of the girls. "As your MCA I am ready to consult with all stakeholders so that we can formulate factual and informed policies that I can push in the county assembly," said Mwaura. Kajiado reported 11.2 per cent of teenage pregnancies in 2022. Lack of supportive systems that push the already traumatised adolescent mother out of school, giving up her education to care for the child has been blamed as one of the major reasons behind the increasing cases.

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