- Kenya has over 11.5 million adolescents, out of which, 50 per cent engage in sexual activity before they attain the age of 18.
- Between 2016 to 2022, Kenya saw at least 2.3 million adolescents attending antenatal clinics, with 143,502 of them aged just 10 to 14 years old, said Mumma.
Image: FILE
The National government has been urged to confront the critical issue of adolescent health to combat the alarming rates of teenage pregnancies and the spread of HIV among the young.
Nominated Senator Catherine Mumma said the traditional Kenyan cultural norms have rendered discussions about sexual health with children a taboo.
She said the concern of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission can only be effectively resolved through comprehensive attention to adolescent health.
Disturbing statistics from the 2023 report of the National Syndemic Disease Control Council reveal that a staggering 88,853 adolescents in Kenya are living with HIV.
Kenya has over 11.5 million adolescents, out of which, 50 per cent engage in sexual activity before they attain the age of 18.
Between 2016 to 2022, Kenya saw at least 2.3 million adolescents attending antenatal clinics, with 143,502 of them aged just 10 to 14 years old, Mumma said.
"The emerging data demonstrates that our nation is silently witnessing the decline of its youth due to our inaction on adolescent health issues. Addressing this crisis is pivotal not only to alleviate the MTCT challenge, but also to safeguard our nation's future,” she said.
Mumma attributed the increase in HIV cases among the younger population to the lack of concrete actions taken toward adolescent health.
The issues such as unprotected sex and teenage pregnancies need to be addressed, she said.
According to Mumma, the adolescents have been accessing healthcare services from unqualified individuals, such as chemist shops that are mushrooming in the estates and villages.
“They go to chemists to procure emergency pills like P2 and to some extent procure abortion services from unqualified individuals. This way we end up losing many adolescents,” she said.
In public and government health facilities, the majority of the adolescents are considered to be underage and, therefore, cannot access services without being accompanied by adults, she said.
“A 14-year-old cannot walk into a health facility and be offered services, they must be accompanied by an adult. However, if this child gets pregnant, the health facility is ready to see them without a parent,” she said.
She added, “Why is it impossible for an adolescent to seek health services for STIs or any other problem? We have to force them to look for support from elsewhere.”
Mumma emphasised the lack of accurate information available to adolescents leads to unfortunate decisions and stark statistics surrounding teenage pregnancy.
"We can no longer turn a blind eye to the plight of pregnant children aged 10 to 14. We must confront the uncomfortable truth that our inaction has fuelled this crisis," she said.
According to reports, there are about 2.3 million cases of defilement in Kenya, but less than 60,000 cases are reported and perpetrators are charged in court.
“This means that millions of cases go unreported. We have normalised violence and defilement which is happening within families, communities, churches, religious places and in schools,” she said.
Mumma urged for a collective reevaluation of societal values, including key stakeholders in the political, executive, county, community and religious realms.
She said while policies on adolescent health exist on paper within Kenya's health sector, their implementation has been hindered by fear of opposition, particularly from religious entities.
The senator emphasised the need for robust policies spanning education, health and law enforcement.
Mumma's call extended to the Universal Health Coverage and the National Insurance Fund regulations, stressing the importance of cost-free health services for adolescents, including HIV and STI care. Others are in vaccinations, menstrual hygiene management, fistula treatment, and addressing issues related to female genital mutilation.
Mumma implored the allocation of dedicated resources in the health budget to specifically target the crises of HIV and teenage health.
"We need to invest resources; the health budget needs to have specific resources that will address the issues of HIV and teens," she said.