Chiefs Abetting Teenage Pregnancy Compensation Deals Put On Notice

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 7- Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has called for the sacking and arrest of chiefs who are abetting the exchange of gifts and marriage offers as compensation for teenage pregnancies.

He warned such chiefs and their assistants that they will be prosecuted for undermining the government policy of zero tolerance on sexual liaisons with minors irrespective of the prevalent traditional justice systems in their jurisdictions.

The CS who was addressing the regional and county commissioners’ forum on the prevention of HIV/Aids infections, teenage pregnancies and gender-based violence in Mombasa said research pointed to a strong link between the three ills and the practice that is rampant in some communities

“The practice of accepting so many camels or cows or marriage offer as compensation to a family for the pregnancy of their teenage daughter must end. Any chief who condones a retrogressive traditional justice system must be ready for the consequences. We will send them home and then to the court,” he said.

The CS also announced that the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) previously known as the Provincial Administration will now be tasked with collecting and transmitting data and leading civic awareness on the three challenges.

The curriculum training for NGAOs at the Kenya School of Government will also be revised to accommodate the new role for the administrators in confronting what has been dubbed ‘The Triple Threat.”

Ministry of Health statistics reveal a sharp rise in the threats with the onset of the Covid pandemic, a situation blamed on the restricted movements and forced sharing of home environments imposed by the virus.

Last year, for instance, nearly 400,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded in the country while an estimated 14 percent of the total number of girls aged 10-19 years got into marriages.

One in every five girls between 15-19 years will become a mother within the period which is also heavily represented among the new HIV infections estimated at 87 per day in the country.

According to the National Crime Research Centre, there has also been a dramatic rise in GBV with the highest jump recorded in 2020 with at least 70 percent of the reported cases involving teenage girls and boys.

The CS said the government will tap into the Nyumba Kumi structure in an aggressive civic education campaign to sensitise the public on the three challenges and their mitigations.

Health PS Susan Mochache who also addressed the forum said medical facilities in the country were coming under increased strain by the challenges.