• Poverty among the highest contributors.
• Some parents send daughters to market or river at odd hours.
Image: COURTESY
There were 8,309 adolescent pregnancies in Makueni last year, a new Makueni County Referral Hospital report shows.
This is an increase of 1,757 from 2017 when 6,552 cases were recorded.
The report shows that 341 girls were in the 10-14 age group.
Kibwezi West subcounty recorded the highest number of cases at 1,649 cases.
Leaders have complained about the rising incidents of defilement and rape in the County.
Makueni County Gender and Social Services Officer Jane Makau said in some cases, the pregnancies are a result of poverty.
"Poverty is a key contributor of early pregnancies. Some girls are engaging in early sex to meet their needs. Many parents are unable to follow up and get justice for their abused girls because they are poor," Makau said.
Kibwezi Education director Kennedy Machora yesterday blamed parents for the sad state of affairs.
He said most parents pushed their daughters into early sex to put food on the table. “According to reports, the girls blame their parents. The girls engage in sex with rich men so that they are given money. Their mothers use the money for family upkeep."
Machora said some parents are negligent and send young daughters to the market or the river at awkward hours.
The Makueni government has entered into a five-year collaboration with Nairobi Women's Hospital Gender Violence Recovery Centre to fight defilement.
They want to improve prevention and response to gender-based violence.
Makueni deputy Governor Adelina Mwau said the initiative seeks to inform the community on sexual and gender-based violence by creating awareness.
Makueni Woman Representative Rose Museo has been advocating for the training of more antigender-based violence crusaders.
During the launch of the county's Gender-Based Violence Recovery Centre, Museo said, "We need to go to the villages and sensitise the community on why it's wrong to fight wives and even husbands."