Two out of 10 girls in Laikipia county get pregnant before the age of 18, a German NGO reports.
A lack of family planning for teenagers has been blamed for this trend.
The study by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevolkerung (German Foundation for World Population) was conducted in 11 counties found that only one had a separate budget item for family planning.
“For the 11 counties assessed, it was noted that 10 counties did not have a stand-alone line item on family planning. That posed a challenge when trying to get the exact allocation for family planning,” the report reads.
Speaking in Nanyuki at the launch of the report, Laikipia youth officer John Ngugi urged county governments to separate family planning and maternal and child health services.
Recent statistics indicate that the pregnancy rates in Narok and Kilifi are highest, at 40 per cent each, followed by Homa Bay at 36 per cent, Kituia at 33 per cent and West Pokot at 29 per cent.
“The analysis in October 2018 shows the Laikipia county government had a budget line combining family planning and maternal and child health services with an allocation of Sh1 million for 2018-19,” Ngugi said.
It was not possible to determine exactly how much was allocated to family planning, he said.
Ngugi said that DSW will support a youth-friendly centre based at Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital with Sh6 million.
The national government, at the 2017 London summit on family planning committed that all counties will have a family planning costed implementation plan by 2020 and a family planning budget line.
Ngugi noted that family planning investments are vital because access to the services is key in reducing teenage pregnancy and pregnancy-related deaths and injuries.
The study on allocations was conducted in Kilifi, Mombasa, Nyandarua, Meru, Laikipia, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Transzoia, West Pokot Bungoma and Nandi.
