West Pokot Reports Increased Cases of Teenage Pregnancies

Officer in charge of reproductive health in the Ministry of Health in Pokot West County Mrs. Consolata Sire.PHOTO/Aswani

By Benson Aswani,

Cases of teenage pregnancies in West Pokot county has increased with statistics showing the rate at which the cases are reported annually.

According to the latest statistics on the cases of childhood pregnancies in Pokot West County it indicates that the cases have continued to increase despite the efforts being made by various stakeholders to deal with the cases among students.

In a meeting with journalists on Tuesday 25th March 2024, West Pokot County officer in charge of reproductive health in the Ministry of Health in Pokot West County, Mrs Consolata Sire shared a breakdown of a study conducted.

According to Sire, the report of a study conducted in 2022 shows that West Pokot County has 36 percent of these cases, which according to the Ministry has increased compared to 2014.

“A study that was conducted in 2022 showed that this county has 36 percent of children who have been impregnated or have given birth. This indicates that there is an increase in these cases compared to 2014,” said Sire.

On the other hand, according to Sire, West Pokot county is the second with teenage pregnancy cases after the Samburu county.

“It is our responsibility as stakeholders to cooperate to ensure that these cases are faced, especially given that this county is the second in the country after Samburu county,” she said.

Similarly according to Mrs. Sire, West Pokot County is following initiatives done by the Samburu County government to curb the cases.

According to Mrs. Sire, Samburu County government recently called on stakeholders in collaboration with the media to set strategies to deal with the increase in these cases, including spreading information in local areas about the effects of childhood pregnancies.

In addition, Sire said that early pregnancies among students contribute greatly to psychological problems, a situation that has led many of them to have to interrupt their studies.

“Premature pregnancies are not related to studies at all. Most of the children face psychological problems when they experience this situation and lead many of them to stop studying,” she said.