Ogamba unpacks government measures to tackle teenage pregnancies

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba before Senators on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has defended the government’s interventions to address challenges facing Kenya’s education sector.

The CS told the Senate that stronger data collection, inter-agency coordination and targeted investment are needed to improve outcomes for learners.

Appearing before Senators on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Ogamba responded to questions touching on teenage pregnancies, religious rights in schools, Junior Secondary School teacher shortages, school administration, technical and vocational education, quality assurance and infrastructure.

The issue of teenage pregnancies emerged as one of the major concerns, with Nakuru Senator Catherine Mumma seeking clarification on how the Ministry tracks pregnancies among learners.

Senator Mumma also wanted to know the availability of information on affected learners and alleged perpetrators, prosecution of defilement cases and measures to support teenage mothers returning to school.

Ogamba said monitoring is undertaken through a multi-sectoral approach involving school heads, teachers and implementation of the National Guidelines for School Re-entry.

However, he acknowledged gaps in the collection and consolidation of data, particularly information relating to pregnancies and perpetrators.

“The Ministry identified poverty, inadequate parental guidance, substance abuse, negative peer influence and limited community awareness as some of the factors contributing to teenage pregnancies,” Ogamba said.

The CS said strengthening data collection and coordination among government agencies would enable the Ministry to better understand the scale of the problem and improve support for affected learners.

Religious freedom in schools was also raised by Mombasa Senator Shakila Abdalla, who questioned the Ministry’s policy on religious attire, particularly the wearing of the hijab. She cited the case of Samira Ali Ramadhan of St. Mary’s Lwak Girls High School.

Ogamba reaffirmed that learners should not be discriminated against on religious grounds.

He said investigations established that Samira had been discouraged from wearing the hijab, contrary to the Ministry’s policy adding that the findings were forwarded to the Teachers Service Commission for appropriate action.

Teacher shortages and the future of JSS interns were raised by Bomet Senator Joyce Korir.

Ogamba confirmed that the interns continue receiving their monthly stipends and remain in service pursuant to court orders.

He further disclosed that Treasury had provided funding to recruit 20,000 JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms from January 2027, while efforts continue to absorb the remaining 24,000 interns.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale sought information on the distribution of school administrators.

Ogamba said that as of May 2026, public secondary schools had 506 Chief Principals, 1,224 Senior Principals and 7,017 Principals.

On TVET regulation, Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda questioned the revocation of the Kenya Institute of Management’s accreditation by TVETA.

Ogamba said the decision followed compliance assessments, inspections and audits, while noting that the matter is before the High Court.

Senator Veronica Maina of Nairobi County sought an update on the Education Standards and Quality Assurance Council. Ogamba said draft regulations were under review following a court directive, while quality assurance continued under the existing directorate.

Meanwhile, Senator Stewart Madzayo of Kilifi County raised concerns over teacher distribution and education infrastructure. Ogamba highlighted government investment in the county.

“Kilifi has so far benefited from 615 Grade 9 classrooms at a cost of KSh615 million, in addition to laboratories, classrooms and sanitation facilities,” he said.

He added that further investments would be made through the Secondary Education Equity and Quality Improvement Programme (SEEQIP) and the Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Programme (KPEEL), as the government seeks to address regional disparities and improve access to quality education.