Deputy President William Ruto has said action will be taken against provincial administrators who fail to contain pregnancies of school-going girls.
He also warned that those who commit the crime, ending up marrying underage girls, will be prosecuted.
Speaking in Narok South Constituency on Saturday, the Deputy President decried the rising cases of girls dropping out of school due to pregnancies, noting that the worrying trend called for “immediate and ruthless” intervention.
“These children are a resource to this country. We will no longer be silent on this issue. Pastoral communities’ girls must be allowed to access the education they deserve, just like any other girl from other parts of Kenya,” he said.
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Ruto said this while addressing the residents of Loita during the launch of Loita Girls Secondary School where he was accompanied by Narok Governor Samuel Ole Tunai, Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, MPs Gabriel Ole Tongoyo (Narok West), Korei Ole Lemein (Narok South), Johana Ngeno (Emurua Dikirr) and Narok Woman Representative Soipan Tuya.
Governor Laboso said it was time the national government worked together with the county governments in curbing the vice, “which was taking Kenya back to the old age”.
“I call on the parents who fail to educate their children, just because of the fact that they are girls, that they will also not be spared. Women have shown that they can also be leaders who can shape the future of Kenya,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by the Narok Woman Representative who said that an ambitious awareness campaign had been launched among the pastoral communities on the importance of educating girls.
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