Richard Ginika Izuora/Agency Report
Kenyan government has confirmed a surge in teen pregnancies during Coronavirus induced lockdown in the country, a survey conducted by the Kenyan Ministry of Health Information revealed.
The report revealed that a total of 3,964 girls under the age limit of 19 were reported pregnant.
Authorities in the country have described the development as a threat to female education.
Details of the report reveal that the pregnancies were conceived over a five month period, with the highest cases recorded in Machakos County, in North Eastern Province of Kenya.
The report also said that about 200 of the girls were between 12 and 14 years.
Commenting on the report, Machakos County Children Officer, Salome Muthama, said that the actual numbers were higher than the data reported, according to Africanews.
She said, “During this coronavirus pandemic we do have 4000 impregnated girls. These are so many innocent girls.
According to her, family members were responsible for most of the cases.
“How can a 12 year old girl become a mother? All the people who have impregnated these children need to be arraigned but it is becoming a challenge. We need special court sittings to address and deal with these cases.
“Most of these cases you will find involve children who were taken from urban centres in the wake of Covid-19 and left in the hands of their grandmothers in the countryside as the parents returned to the towns,” she added.