NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 11 – Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman on Saturday said ‘a slight increase’ in reported teenage pregnancies in the country are not as alarming as projected in the media.
Aman who was speaking during the World Population Day commemoration said figures reported in the current quarter are lower than what the country had recorded in the similar period last year.
“If we look at the total national numbers of teenage pregnancies reported from January, we are at 150,433 actually lower than what we saw during the same period last year at 175,488,” said Aman.
He however called for a multi-sectoral approach in combating teenage pregnancies that have continued to spike in recent months.
“To address this, we require a multi-sectoral approach that includes different lines in ministers, non-governmental organisations, civil society and faith-based organizations, communities, teachers, parents, as agents of change to end teenage pregnancies,” said Aman.
Data published by the Kenya Health Information System in June indicated 152,820 teen pregnancies had been reported nationwide since March.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha last month called for tougher action against individuals who sexually assault girls even as he urged parents to pay more attention in morally guiding their children.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday directed the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) to probe escalating cases of teenage pregnancies, among them cases of violation of children’s rights.
Within the 30 days, he said “the Centre is further directed to prepare an advisory to our security agencies on remedial action and initiate immediate prosecution of all violators.”
