MCAs to mobilise funds to reduce teen pregnancies, HIV

Nairobi MCAs are all set to start mobilising resources to support projects aimed at reducing teen pregnancies and HIV among youth.

In a consultative forum with civil society groups on Tuesday, they said they would advocate for youth issues in the assembly.

Adam Kibwana, senior clerk assistant at the county assembly, said the first step towards addressing teen pregnancies and HIV infection was planning.

“First and foremost, we must have these issues included in the County Implementation Development Plan which will see resources channeled towards projects,” he said.

Now that the Youth Caucus had been formed in the new leadership of the assembly, Kibwana said the CIDP can be sure to contain youth’s issues and funding for projects can begin.

Victor Rasugu, director of the Network for Adolescents and Youth in Africa, said Nairobi’s teen pregnancy prevalence needs urgent resolution and resources are required to sustain projects.

“We need friendlier youth services at health facilities across Nairobi to help young people access reproductive health services as well as civic education and advocacy to reach them with the right information on reproductive health,” he said.

The Ministry of Health found Nairobi to be one of the counties with the highest cases of teenage pregnanies and new HIV infections.

“According to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services’ Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Implementation Framework (2020-23), in Nairobi county, the HIV prevalence is higher at 6.1 per cent than the national prevalence which is 4.8 per cent,” he said.

As of 2018, there were 10,604 adolescents between 10 to 14 years living with HIV in Nairobi and 24,918 are young people aged 15 to 20 years.

The report found Embakasi South to have the highest prevalence of teen pregnancies in Nairobi at 28 per cent, followed by Kamukunji(17.1 per cent), Roysambu and Mathare tied at 16.5 per cent and Embakasi West( 15.3 per cent).