Fresh contraceptive, sex education push as teen pregnancies soar
Health experts say Kenya cannot afford to bury its head in the sand as teenage pregnancies double in five years. PHOTO | BD GRAPHIC
Anne Mitu was only 19 when she got pregnant, forcing her to delay plans for education advancement as she settled down as a house wife to take care of her baby.
More pain followed soon after when her husband died even before the birth of their child. Not only did the unemployed teenager have to fend for her herself, but for her baby as well.
Ms Mitu lives at Biafra in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate where she does menial jobs to survive and support her child. It’s been a tough life.
But the saddest reality is that hers is not an isolated case. She represents the anguish and uncertainty facing thousands of teenagers who are falling pregnant—leaving them at the risk of death and deep financial crisis to fend for the unplanned children.
Statistics indicate that young girls are twice more likely to die from childbirth than women in their 20s. The rate of pregnancy among teenagers, defined by World Health Organisation (WHO) as persons between the ages of 13-19, in Kenya has doubled since 2009.
Latest data released by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) shows that teenage pregnancy grew by 17 per cent to reach 37 per cent in 2014.
The AFIDEP adds that the growing number is a result of more adolescents engaging in sex and the lack of comprehensive sexuality education and reproductive health services for adolescents.
These alarming figures have driven experts to lobby for governments to enact existing laws and policies that protect girls by ensuring that they explore education opportunities even after getting pregnant.
Penina Muchemi, a community health worker in Kangemi says that it is a reality that school children are sexually active and that there is need to talk about it, as well as help them to access contraceptives.
“It is important to include family planning topics in school curricular, and allow open discussion on sex,” she said.
The AFIDEP report adds that 23 per cent of teenage girls want to delay pregnancy or stop having children but are not using modern contraceptives due to lack of access and information on their availability.
“There is higher unmet need for family planning among young people and women living with HIV compared to the general population. Our public facilities should provide youth-friendly services, providing correct and appropriate information and services that meet the needs of young people,” says Dan Okoro, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sexual and reproductive health programme officer.
Comprehensive sex education is not part of school curricular in Kenya, and the topic has been left in the hands of community health workers. Further, health officials are not allowed to openly talk about family planning to school children.
“We offer sex education to children starting with those in the upper classes of primary school (from Class Six). We bring up the issue of family planning as we talk about HIV/Aids and TB because we are not allowed to directly talk about it to children,” says Ms Muchemi.
She also notes that during the sessions, almost 90 per cent of the children in attendance express an interest in contraceptives.
And as Muchemi and her team train their efforts on children in townships, particular attention needs to be given to girls in rural areas.
The AFIDEP report indicates that girls who have undergone traditional rites of passage like female circumcision are also likely to have an early sex debut and start child bearing early.
About 21 per cent of women in Kenya have undergone circumcision with North Eastern and Nyanza regions being the most affected, with a prevalence rate of 98 and 33 per cent.
Girls who do not have access to education were said to be the most affected and are three times likely to get pregnant. More data shows that 33 per cent of teenage girls without formal education had started child bearing compared to 12 per cent of educated ones.
In addition, the AFIDEP says that girls in rural areas are at a greater risk of child marriage, which has seen 49 per cent of girls living in rural areas get pregnant before their 18th birthday. This is compared to the 18 per cent pregnancy rate reported among girls married in urban areas.
