Babies raising babies: Teens caught between changing diapers and systematic failures

Babies raising babies: Teens caught between changing diapers and systematic failures (Photo: iStock)

In the teeming heart of Nairobi's informal settlements, a silent epidemic is unfolding that leaves no sirens blaring, no headlines screaming, but scars entire generations. Teenage girls, many still in school uniforms or nursing infants on their hips, are being thrust into adulthood by early pregnancy, broken homes, and the brutal weight of poverty.

Their stories of betrayal, pressure, abandonment and survival mirror a national crisis where sexual violence, misinformation, and economic desperation collide. Behind every statistic lies a name, a wound, and a warning: Kenya's teenage girls are being failed, not just by their partners, but by a system unequipped to protect them. Their stories, often whispered or silenced, reflect a widening gap between policy and protection, between survival and dignity.