Schoolchildren have been encouraged to take their time and engage in meaningful activities as learning institutions remain closed because of Covid-19.
Ida, wife of ODM leader Raila Odinga, raised concern on the rising number of teenage pregnancies.
"It's time to reflect on yourself and your future. I am deeply concerned with the possible and projected sexual health risks and challenges posed by the closure of schools for the academic year 2020," she said.
"It is already alarming that the numbers of reported pregnancies have skyrocketed during the initial phase of the lockdown. It may get worse if nothing is done to salvage the situation."
She said according to data in her possession, about 300,000 schoolgirls become pregnant and two per cent of them never get back to school.
"An extrapolation of this with the dynamic situation we are in may spell something scarier than before," she said.
Ida added that even before the pandemic, women faced significant challenges in accessing basic health information and services.
"Now, amid a pandemic that is straining even the strongest healthcare systems, there is a real risk that sexual and reproductive health and rights will be deprioritised, with devastating consequences for girls and women at large," she said.
According to the World Health Organization, complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are already the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19 globally.
During this pandemic, pregnant girls and young mothers face even greater risks.
"Evidence from past epidemics indicates that resources are often diverted from routine health services, which further reduces access to sexual and reproductive health services, as well as maternal, newborn and child health services," Ida said.
"With this in mind, I call upon parents, guardians, the national and county governments to devise means of mitigating this lifelong risk."
Edited by Henry Makori
