Worrying statistics as Igambang'ombe turns into teen pregnancy hotspot

Igambang’ombe has been described as the hotspot of teenage pregnancies and early marriages in Tharaka Nithi County.

St Peter’s Lifeline Director Veronica Nyaga cited worrying statistics, saying 343 teenage girls from the sub-county sought prenatal and antenatal care at Kajuki Health Centre in 2022 and over 350 others sought the services the previous year.

Ms Nyaga spoke during a graduation ceremony for 406 girls who underwent one-week training in alternative rite of passage after rejecting female genital mutilation (FGM).

Kajuki Health Centre is the biggest public health facility in the sub-county, which also hosts the county headquarters: Kathwana town.

In the entire county, which has seven sub-counties, 1,201 cases were reported in public health facilities in 2022, though the number could be higher because some sought care in private hospitals, others went to facilities outside the county, as others delivered at home with the help of traditional birth attendants. Igambang’ombe accounted for more than a quarter of the figure, with the other six sub-counties sharing the rest.

“Almost all the 343 girls dropped out of school and probably got married at an early age or are nursing their babies at home,” Ms Nyaga said.

In neighbouring Meru County, the situation is worse as 3,998 teenage pregnancies were reported between January and May last year, according to the National Syndemic Disease Control Council survey.

Also read: Legal gaps, poor parenting driving high teen pregnancy rates

Ms Nyaga said the alternative rite of passage programme focused on sensitising the girls to teenage pregnancies, early marriages and teenage sex to help curb the worrying numbers. She pointed out that out of the 406 girls who attended the training, six were pregnant.

Ms Nyaga attributed the problems to poverty and poor parenting, cautioning parents against handling the matters under the leadership of clan elders instead of reporting to the authorities.

For her part, Tharaka Nithi Gender Executive Beatrice Kathomi blamed most teenage pregnancies in the county on incest and urged parents to stop allowing their young girls to visit their relatives if not sure of their safety.

She said residents hardly report incest to the authorities to avoid embarrassing their families and victims end up suffering and bringing up their babies alone.

“As a government, we are doing everything possible in collaboration with other stakeholders such as St Peter’s Lifeline to end cases of gender violence meted out to young girls,” Ms Kathomi said.

Tharaka Member of Parliament Gitonga Murugara also raised concerns about FGM, which is still rampant in some parts of the county despite spirited efforts by governmental and nongovernmental organisations to end the harmful practices.

He noted that though the practice is carried out secretly, administrators and other stakeholders should remain vigilant, especially during school holidays, so that none can go unnoticed and unreported.

“We must join hands to fight these gender challenges facing the girls because we have the responsibility of protecting them as parents and leaders,” Mr Murugara said.

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