1,073 teenage girls impregnated in Lamu since 2024, rights group say » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 5 – The Kenya Human Rights Commission and Muslim for Human Rights want the Senate to summon governors of the coastal counties to explain measures being taken to combat teenage pregnancy.

This comes after they cited a survey indicating that Lamu County recorded at least 1,073 cases of teenage pregnancy between 2024 and mid-2025.

According to the report submitted by the Gender Sector Working Group to the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, 789 cases were reported in 2024, with an additional 284 recorded between January
and May 2025.

The two rights groups want Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale to clarify existing policies and Kenya’s commitment to the Eastern and Southern Africa Commitment on comprehensive sexuality education.

“As the next general election approaches, citizens must evaluate the performance of MCAs, MPs, senators, governors, and the national government based on how they have protected or failed to protect our sexual and reproductive health rights. Those who stood by as our young girls’ futures were destroyed do not deserve our votes. They should be sent home,” it added.

The rights groups warned that Kenya’s most vulnerable girls remain exposed to abuse, stigma, and lost futures unless urgent steps are taken.

The situation in Lamu mirrors a broader national crisis. In 2023, the National Syndemic Disease Control Council reported that 696 girls were impregnated daily across the country.

In response, KHRC issued symbolic “red cards” to top officials in affected counties and ministries, accusing them of failing to prevent and respond to the crisis.

Formal appeals have been made to the Senate, National Assembly, and Council of Governors, calling for urgent interventions including policy reforms, enforcement of school re-entry guidelines, and accountability from health and education officials.