Lamu County Reports Over 1,000 Teenage Pregnancies as Rights Groups decry Inaction
By Chemtai Kirui|
Lamu, Kenya – Lamu County has recorded over 1,073 teenage pregnancies since the beginning of 2024, according to data submitted to the Presidential Technical Working Group on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
A report from the county’s gender sector working group indicated that 789 cases were recorded in 2024, with a further 284 between January and May 2025.
Rights group Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) said many of the cases stem from rape, defilement, and early marriages.
The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) also reported that an average of 696 teenage girls were impregnated daily in 2023.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey ranked 10 counties—including Nairobi, Bungoma, Nakuru, Kisii, Samburu, and West Pokot—as having the highest rates of teenage pregnancy among girls aged 15–19.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), which submitted a separate petition, called on Parliament and county governments to respond with stronger policy measures.
KHRC urged lawmakers to summon the Health and Education Cabinet Secretaries, as well as governors from the most affected counties, to explain what steps they are taking to curb the crisis.
Despite formal letters sent in 2024 and 2025 to the Senate, National Assembly, and Council of Governors, KHRC says it has received no response.
KHRC and MUHURI are calling for unconditional school re-entry for pregnant students, strengthened community health promotion, and public denouncements of stigma.
Rights groups warn that without urgent action, the cycle of early pregnancies and its social consequences will continue to undermine the futures of young girls across the country.
