Shock as 4,000 School Girls Impregnated in Machakos in Three Months

The Children’s Department in Machakos has raised alarm after it emerged that nearly 4,000 school-going children have been impregnated in the county in the past three months.

The pregnancies were recorded since mid-March when the government ordered the closure of all learning institutions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Children’s Department Officer Salome Muthama.

Muthama while addressing reporters on Wednesday said a large number the 3,964 cases involve girls whose parents live in urban areas but took their kids to their grandparents in the villages. She said this exposes the minors to sex pests.

"Most of these cases you will find involve children who were taken from urban centers in the wake of Covid-19 and left in the hands of their grandmothers in the countryside as the parents returned to the towns," she said.

104 pregnancies of children between the ages of 10 and 14 were reported in Masinga sub-county and an additional 600 comprising girls aged between 15 and 19.

In Athi River, there are 7 pregnancies of girls of the age ranging from 10 to 14 while 561 cases involve those aged 15 and 19. Machakos sub-County has 48 pregnancy cases (ages 10 to 14) and 259 (ages 15 to 19) while Yatta has 10 (ages 10 to 14) and 462 (ages 15 to 19).

Muthama placed the blame on parents, accusing them of neglecting their obligations of protecting the minors. She indicated that a majority of the cases involve close relatives.

She asked the Judiciary to provide the Children’s Department with legal advisors to speed up the prosecution of sex offenders.