Rights groups demand action as 1,073 teenage pregnancies recorded in Lamu since 2024
This is not the first time the alarm has been raised. In 2024, both KHRC and MUHURI urged the government to act, citing earlier findings by the Kenya Health Demographic Survey of 2022, which placed ten counties, including Lamu, among the worst affected.
In the quiet coastal villages of Lamu County, the laughter of schoolgirls is being replaced by the cries of babies. Many girls, some as young as ten, are no longer in classrooms but are instead caring for children of their own.
Since 2024, a total of 1,073 teenage pregnancies have been recorded in the county, sparking growing concern from rights groups who say the situation is a clear failure of leadership.
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The Kenyan Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) have renewed calls for urgent government intervention, saying the rise in pregnancies is destroying the futures of young girls in Lamu.
They have written to key national and county leaders, demanding action and accountability.
“This is a sobering example of systemic failure,” the two organisations said in a joint statement. “Our daughters’ lives are hanging in the balance, and many will never get a second chance.”
This is not the first time the alarm has been raised. In 2024, both KHRC and MUHURI urged the government to act, citing earlier findings by the Kenya Health Demographic Survey of 2022, which placed ten counties, including Lamu, among the worst affected.
That report focused on girls aged 10 to 15 years. The National Syndemic Disease Control Council later added to the concern, showing in a 2023 report that 696 girls are being impregnated every day across the country.
In response, KHRC issued “red cards” to the Health Cabinet Secretary and the governors of the most affected counties.
“The governors of the affected counties and the Cabinet Secretary are unfit to hold public office because they have failed to protect vulnerable girls and ensure they are returned to school," KHRC said.
For communities in Lamu, the impact is personal and painful. In some households, teenage girls are now raising babies while still children themselves.
Dreams of becoming nurses, teachers or business owners have been put on hold—some forever. Many of these girls never return to school, and few receive the support they need.
KHRC and MUHURI say the situation reflects more than just a health crisis. They are calling on citizens, especially those in the most affected counties, to hold leaders responsible for this failure.
“As the next general election approaches, citizens must evaluate the performance of MCAs, MPs, senators, governors, and the national government based on how they have protected or failed to protect our sexual and reproductive health rights. Those who stood by as our young girls’ futures were destroyed do not deserve our votes. They should be sent home,” the statement added.
The two organisations further urged Parliament not to shy away from its responsibility. They want the governors and the Cabinet Secretary for Health summoned to explain what steps are being taken to reduce teenage pregnancies and to ensure that affected girls can return to school.
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