•A report released last month showed that out of eight adolescent girls, one is either pregnant or has delivered.
•The report released by National Council for Population and Development shows that Nairobi county leads in teen pregnancy in adolescents aged 10-14 years.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday in Nakuru County while marking World Aids Day said men who sexually abuse children should be called out and embarrassed in society so that they stop the inappropriate behaviour.
Image: PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta has called out men who cause teenage pregnancies, saying it is a shame.
"Ni aibu sana kwa sisi wazee na viongozi kuskia watoto wetu wakilia kwa sababu ya tabia zetu. Ni aibu kubwa. Ni vizuri tuanze kuambiana ukweli, kwa sababu sio watoto wanajiharibu, ni sisi wazee tunaharibu watoto,” he said.
This translates to, "It is such a shame when we, as older men and leaders, to see our children suffering because of such behaviour. We must tell each other the truth because children are not doing this to themselves, it is grownups doing it."
Speaking in Nakuru on Wednesday, Uhuru asked men to seek grownups, not children, if tired of their wives.
"Kama umechoshwa na yule uko naye nyumbani... Enda utafute rika yako uwachane na watoto jameni! (If you're tired of the one you have at home, go look for someone your age)”
“Wewe kama mzee unatembea na mtoto mdogo hata kuliko msichana wako, alafu ujiite mwanaume, wewe ni mwanaume wa saa ngapi? (Some older men are going out with men who are even younger than their daughters; what kind of men are you.)"
Uhuru asked women to shame such men without feeling any remorse.
“Ukijua uko na mzee ana hizo tabia, muweke kwa soko umuanike hapo mbele ya watu wamuangalie, hiyo aibu ndiyo itafanya aache hiyo tabia (If you know of any man with such behaviour, shame them; it will make them stop),”he said.
The President said this matter should be tackled by everyone in the society, not only the authorities.
“Hata tukisema atakayeshikwa afungwe, hiyo haitasaidia. Ile itasaidia ni sisi tubadilishe tabia zetu (Even if we say whoever is found guilty will be jailed, that's not enough; it calls for behaviour change),” he said.
A report released last month showed that out of eight adolescent girls, one is either pregnant or has delivered.
The report released by the National Council for Population and Development shows that Nairobi county leads in teen pregnancy in adolescents aged 10-14 years.
This is based on statistics between January and October 2021.
Nairobi had 2,379 cases; a decrease from 2020 when the cases were 2,598.
The capital city was followed by Homa Bay, which had 1,530 cases, Kajiado had 1,496; Mandera 1,370 and Bomet 1,041 cases.
Counties reporting high adolescent pregnancy among girls aged 15 to 19 in 2021 include; Bungoma with 10,291, Meru 10,406, Kakamega 11,594, Narok 9,879 and Nairobi 13,319.
The report indicated that teenage pregnancy is multifaceted with major drivers varying across counties.