Over 40,000 Teenage Pregnancies Recorded in Two Months (January, February) 2022-Ministry of Health
Teenage Pregnancies; The Ministry of Health says 45,724 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded between January and February in 2022.
According to Principal Secretary Susan Mochache, 2,196 minors between the ages of 12 and 17 were victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
Despite the fact that the numbers are still high, Mochache noted that teen pregnancies had decreased by 26% from 427,135 in 2018 to 317,644 in 2021.
“This encouraging performance reflects an increase of 83% in the number of people living with HIV that are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment, from 600,000 people in2013 to 1.2 million people in 2021,” she said.
She stated that the number of teenage pregnancies in Kilifi, Taita-Taveta, and Siaya counties had decreased by more than 50% during the same period, citing poverty and hunger as the main causes.
She went on to say that in 2015, more than 343 adolescent females aged 10 to 19 were newly infected with HIV every week.
In 2021, these numbers had dropped by 71 percent to around 98 cases per week, despite the fact that they were still high.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi directed County Commissioners to develop engagement programs and provide a favorable climate where young people can grow without prejudice, shame, or violence.
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“Most importantly, we must ensure that perpetrators of teenage pregnancies and Gender-Based Violence face the full force of the law and ensure that any girl who gets pregnant goes back to school,” he said.
In addition, Kenya has committed to end teenage pregnancy by 2030 at the International Conference for Population and Development; and further address all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and end HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
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