Three pregnant teens rescued in Kilifi after incest, defilement

Three pregnant Magarini girls have been rescued from sexual violence and taken to a centre in Malindi where they will be taken care of and offered guidance.

The girls aged 13, 14 and 16 got pregnant after they were repeatedly defiled.

The first girl, Joan (not her real name) was allegedly defiled by her uncle with whom she lived in Msumarini village. Joan says she was defiled on many occasions.

The 14-year-old whom we shall call Josephine (not her real name) was lured into sex by a man who gave her Sh250. The man later demanded sex.

The other is Sarah, a Standard 6 learner at Kadzuyuni Primary School. She is also expecting a baby after being abused sexually.

The three are heavily pregnant.

Journalists caught up with the teenagers after they were rescued by Helda Lameck in Magarini over the weekend. Helda is an activist who advocates against sexual and gender-based violence.

She was taking the girls to a rescue centre in Malindi. She said the minors all come from poor households.

They appeared very weak. Joan said her uncle sent her to his house and quickly followed her. He took hold of the minor and demanded sex. Joan said the man later gave her Sh50 after the ordeal.

Sarah however said she started engaging in sex in 2018. She got pregnant late last year.

She said the man who impregnated her did not promise her anything but always gave her money in exchange for unprotected sex.

Josephine said she was seduced by a boy while on her way home from a shop. She accepted the boy's advances and they engaged in sex many times before she realised she was pregnant.

“He seduced me and told me to meet him which I agreed to do. We then engaged in sex four times with him and I became pregnant,” Josephine said.

Her sister reported the pregnancy to anti-gender based violence activists who took her to hospital then to a police station where they recorded a statement.

The reports reached Women on the Move Against Gender-Based Violence and Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW Kenya)  who swung into action.

CREAW Kenya is a national NGO that champions women's rights.

Speaking after completing the rescue mission in Magarini, Helda said Joan's case was incest.

She said the girls were first taken to hospital to undergo tests including that of Covid-19.

“These cases have become rampant and all this is highly contributed to by the Covid-19 pandemic because during this period many parents are jobless,” she said.

The activist said some of the girls said they were often forced to engage in sex for money so as to raise cash for food and other basic needs.

Girls in Magarini and Kilifi county at large also engage in sex in exchange for sanitary towels, Helda said.

She said it was alarming that cases of incest were also increasing with close relatives accused of defiling girls whose guardianship they have been entrusted with.

The guardians often threaten the minors against reporting the incidents. 

“When we find there are threats, we are forced to take the girls to a rescue center after recording statements with the police,” Helda said.

She said no perpetrator had been arrested.

Helda said she also had three similar cases from Kakoneni area in Malindi subcounty. One of the girls, a 13-year-old, had already delivered.

"Every week, we record six or seven cases of teenage pregnancies which clearly shows they are on the rise," she said.

Helda said Kilifi county has recorded over 15,000 cases of teenage pregnancies since the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year.

The numbers are expected to rise.

“I would urge the government to strengthen the school feeding programmes especially in the rural schools because right now many children are at home with no work yet they want to eat,” she said.

Helda also called on the government to start distributing free sanitary towels to prevent teen pregnancies.

“If condoms are all over and given for free, the sanitary pads should also be free. Pads are not for leisure but used during menstruation which is natural for girls and women,” she said.

Edited by P.O