Teenage pregnancy cases in Kilifi county have declined from 32 per cent in 2018 to 14 per cent this year, county reproductive health coordinator Kenneth Miriti has said.
He said the downward trajectory was due to collaborative efforts by the county and national governments, and NGOs dealing with reproductive health.
Miriti said by the end of next year, they expect the percentage to go down to one digit.
He spoke to journalists at Silver Palm Resort in Kilifi during a meeting to mark the end of Strengthening Local Advocacy Leadership (SLALE), which was funded by DSW, a German NGO.
DSW deals with issues related to reproductive health and works with young people aged between 10 and 24 years.
Miriti said when SLALE programme started in 2018, the youth approached the health department and requested that the county revive youth-friendly centres. The centres offer youth-friendly services on reproductive health.
In 2019-20 the county revived three centres in Matsangoni, Mtwapa and Rabai. This year is has opened the fourth one in Malindi.
Miriti said they are planning to open other youth-friendly centres in Kaloleni, Magarini and in Kilifi North at Kilifi hospital.
"The youth urged the county to come up with integrated youth-friendly services in all the 60 dispensaries. If you go to all the wards in the county, you will get youth-friendly services in dispensaries and health centres," he said.
Miriti said the centres give youth an opportunity to interact with each other.
"The youth talk with their peers about ways to prevent teenage pregnancy, HIV-Aids and life skills," he said.
Miriti said the centres have free internet and computers with games that keep the youth busy during school holidays and evenings.
Stephen Kibindo, a beneficiary of SLALE programme, said the centres have provided a platform where they learn about sexual reproductive health.
He said before the youth centres were opened, there was a lot of stigma and youth could not freely talk about pregnancy or family planning.
"Initially, there was a lot of fear and stigma among youth who did not want to associate themselves with such topics," Kibindo said.
The Kilifi government said it has trained health workers on how to provide youth-friendly services.
Ferdinand Mose from DSW said they first formed groups and trained the youth on how to make strategic plans that have helped them build youth empowerment centres.
He said they also trained them on policies such as finance and organisational management.
In Kilifi, he said groups such as Pwani Youth Network and West Pokot have started accessing funds from other donors because of the knowledge.
Edited by A.N
