40,000 girls get pregnant in Kilifi :: Kenya

Some 40,000 teenagers in Kilifi County get pregnant each year, according to the Education and ICT executive.

Gabriel Katana said most cases went unreported and were, therefore, never documented.

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A recent report showed that at least 13,000 teen pregnancies were recorded in the county every year, a figure Prof Katana said was incorrect.

“We need to carry out a study on pregnancies where some babies are born and others are aborted. If we look at it critically, you will realise the correct number of teenage pregnancies here is three times the figure that has been provided,” said Katana.

Most of the cases involve girls under the age of 18 who were made pregnant by fellow students, teachers or people out to exploit them.

Katana urged the authorities to handle the matter with care to avoid promoting abortion.

He said poverty was not entirely to blame for teenage pregnancies. “Parents lack knowledge on how to raise children.”

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