Lobby links high teen pregnancies in Kakamega to limited budget

An NGO has linked the high rate of teenage pregnancies in Kakamega county to low budgetary allocation by the county government.

Although the county has recorded a minimal drop in teen pregnancies reported in the last four years, the numbers are still high and more interventions are needed. 

According to statistics, the county recorded 16, 957 pregnancies by girls aged 14-15 in 2019, 14, 374 in 2020, 14, 628 in 2021, 12, 509 in 2022 and 2, 150 cases between January and March. Girls aged between 10 and 14 became pregnant in the county within same period.

A total of 532 were impregnated in 2019, 394 in 2020, 538 in 2021, 369 in 2022 and 38 in 2023. Malava subcounty is leading with Malava 1, 427 followed by Lurambi with 1, 284 and Lugari with 1,190 cases.

Other subcounties are Shinyalu 1,164, Likuyani 1,107, Buyers 1,070, Navakholo 1,017, Matungu 970, Mumias West 919, Ikolomani 880, Mumias West 788 and Khwisero with 692 cases.

WE REACH executive director Eric Bosire said that the county budget allocation to Sexual Reproductive Health services has dropped from Sh5 million to Sh1.7 million in the last four years.

The county allocated Sh5 million for  reproductive health and family planning in 2018-19, Sh4 million in 2019-20, Sh1 million in 2020-21, Sh1.2 million in 2021-22 and Sh1.7 million 2022-23, according to budget analysis by the organisation.

Speaking during a workshop for journalists on teenage pregnancies at Diamond Rock hotel in Kakamega, Bosire said that a survey has established that the reduction in budgetary allocation is a result of low absorption of the funds. 

“As a result, the number of teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, school dropouts, high infections and unmet needs for contraceptives," he said.

He said the rise in the teen pregnancies in the county is attributed to poverty, outdated cultural beliefs, low allocation to sexual health and reproductive rights by the county government and the high cost of medical abortions.

Bosire said that there are no friendly youth corners in public health facilities, adding that youth don’t seek sexual reproduction health services for fear of being stigmatised.

He said that visits by teens to health facilities to seek SRH services and family planning have been on decline since 2019, adding that ages 10-14 don’t visit hospitals with pregnancies, meaning they are handled at home.

WE REACH has been lobbying for an increase of allocation for SRH services by the county government.

The organisation wants to establish youth-friendly services centres in at least one of the health facilities in every subcounty that will be designed to address the barriers faced by the youth in accessing high-quality SRH services. 

Low budgetary allocation by the county has been blamed for high numbers of early pregnancies and deaths and deformations resulting from unsafe abortion.

County co-ordinator for nursing services Amelda Barasa said that the status of teen pregnancies in the county cannot be solely linked to reduction in budgetary allocations.

“SRH is a multisectoral problem that cuts across all departments,” Amelda said on the phone.

She said that budgetary allocation may not be a direct contributor to the high incidents of teen pregnancies because partners are also engaged in the campaign to correct the situation.