Cases of school dropout among girls due to teen pregnancies are on the rise in Kuresoi North and South in Nakuru County.
Adult men have mostly been blamed for the pregnancies which have seen tens of girls drop out of school.
Girls’ rights advocates in the region led by Lily Ruto blamed parents for the rise, stating that most of them have abdicated their parental roles.
“This area has reported a rise in cases of school drop out among girls due to early marriages. Parents are to blame because they prefer to settle such cases out of court,” she noted.
Speaking in Total Upper, she observed that most parents are reluctant to take the legal route, and instead prefer settling such cases out of court.
Ruto called for tough action against culprits, terming the pregnancies a major threat to girls’ education in the region.
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“These pregnancies are a threat to the education of the girl child. To bring an end to these pregnancies, I call for concerted efforts and a tough action against the culprits. These pregnancies are a big shame,” added Ruto.
Samuel Kiptui from Ketitui on his part described the rise as a matter of concern, stating that sensitization programmes should be carried out and the law fully enforced.
“We are deeply concerned by these pregnancies because they continue going up. Sensitization programmes should be carried out and the law fully enforced in order to tackle this problem,” observed Kiptui.
The advocates cautioned against out of court solutions, further rooting for concerted efforts to safeguard the rights of girls in the country.
By Kimutai Langat
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