The Hidden Causes of Teenage Pregnancies in Kenya

Introduction

Teenage pregnancies in Kenya have been a significant issue with wide-ranging social, health, and economic consequences. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014, about 21% of teenage girls aged 15-19 had begun childbearing, with higher rates in rural areas and among girls with a lower education level.

Source: 2022 interview with the Health Principal Secretary, Susan Mochache

The number has been on the rise in recent years with a spike during the COVID 19 pandemic due to school closures and limited access to reproductive health services. In 2021 alone, a total of 317,644 pregnancies were reported. Of the adolescent pregnancies, 56% 0f these were in nine counties namely: Nairobi, Kajiado, Homa Bay, Meru, Kericho, Narok, Kisii, Mandera and Bomet.

When it comes to teenage pregnancy, research conducted in 2016 by the African Institute of Development Policy (AFIDEP) showed that it is driven by a number of factors including but not limited to:

Lack of formal education

The benefits of education are far more than improving one’s economic wellbeing. Educational institutions often act as positive influences in one’s behavior. In school settings, positive social reactivity often comes into play. This is a psychological phenomenon that happens when someone changes the way they behave because they know they’re being observed. Studies show that teenage girls with no education or those with primary education only, are more likely to begin childbearing compared to those with secondary education and above.

Lack of sexual and reproductive health education

Broadly speaking, there were five major African initiation rites which were fundamental to human growth and development. The five rites were: birth, adulthood, marriage, eldership and ancestor ship (It is useful to note that these rites varied between communities and these classifications are a mere guide). The community believed that it should not be taken for granted that people will automatically grow and develop into responsible adults.

With the coming of Western civilization, a lot of native cultural influences were lost. In Western culture, adulthood is seen as a status one achieves at the age of 18 after completing high school. There is no fundamental guidance on what is required as an adult. By leaving things to chance, we have witnessed a lot of “adult” confusion, chaos, and uncertainty.

In early African tradition, adulthood rites would begin at the onset of puberty (12-13 years) whereby young boys and girls would be taught on how to be productive members of society including the rules of the society, moral instruction and social responsibility and clarification on their mission and calling in life.

It is unfortunate that we have neglected our own tradition. Parents are not providing sufficient guidance to adolescents leaving this important role to teachers, uninformed peers, and the internet.

Poverty

According to the 2014 KDHS report, teenagers from the poorest households were more likely to experience teenage pregnancy and motherhood (26%) compared to teenagers from the wealthiest households (10%). Poverty in turn results in school dropouts as these young girls are forced to contribute to providing for the family as well. This then predisposes these girls to early sexual relationships in an effort to cater to their own needs as well as for their families.

Harmful cultural practices

Surprisingly, early childhood marriage is still ongoing in Kenya with 13.6% of adolescent girls between the ages of 15-19 years being married off to older men according to the 2014 KDHS report.

Sexual Abuse and Violence

Cases of SGBV are a societal menace. The reported numbers are also likely to be understated given the stigma associated with reporting such cases. Additionally, the perpetrators are often men close to the girls, whom they also depend on, leaving them in a dilemma. Additionally, the process of filing the cases may not always result in positive outcomes for the girls. Once the perpetrator knows that a case has been filed, he may become violent towards the girl, he may bribe his way out of any charges or even if he is arrested the girl could be left in a home that lacks a breadwinner increasing the rift between her and her family. Her mother may also decide to remarry and the cycle may repeat.

Early sexual initiation

Based on the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), 37.3% of teenage girls and 40.6% of teenage boys between the ages of 15-19, have had their first sexual experience. This is as a result of a number of factors, some of which we have discussed above. Beyond this, these young girls also fall prey to peer pressure, (social) media influence and drug abuse because of their lack of prerequisite knowledge on how to make informed decisions regarding relationships.

Conclusion

Our silence and conservative culture is doing more harm than good. By choosing to not educate our girls on what to do either when abused or in the wrong company we are not helping them, instead we are silently hoping for the best – this has clearly resulted in devastating outcomes. With one out of every five girls having a child before their 19th birthday, not only are the teenage girls affected but the country is also losing a lot of economic potential from this demographic dividend.

The ability to talk about their hardships and receiving support and counselling in a caring environment is what inspired the Ayana Zaki team to set out to curb this problem. We believe that this is the first step towards making a substantial difference in the lives of these young women.