Education stakeholders in Homa Bay County have been challenged to double their efforts in tackling the high rate of teen pregnancies in the county.

Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga is word that teenaged girls “are eating too much forbidden fruit” and in the process ruing their future. Unless concerted efforts are made to address the crisis, the governor says, the education of many girls is in jeopardy.

Governor Wanga noted that the latest Kenya Health and Demographic Survey (KHDS) shows that the prevalence of teen pregnancies in Homa Bay stands at 33 per cent.

She said the crisis contributes to high poverty index in the lake basin county. The governor said the problem is reason the behind Governor’s Girls’ mentorship initiative that will provide guiding and counselling to adolescent girls in primary and secondary schools in the county.

The initiative encompasses mentorship of girls by leaders holding high professional positions in the country.

Governor Wanga spoke at Ratang’a Girls Secondary School in Ndhiwa Sub- County during one of the mentorship sessions during which various mentors urged girls to shun premarital sex. Wanga expressed concerns that teen pregnancies will deny Homa Bay women leaders in future if not addressed early.

“Defilements and teen pregnancies cause high school dropout among our girls. This means we must put measures in place to rescue our girls from the menace,” Wanga said, urging the girls to say no to any sexual advances by sex pests.

“Let every girl gather the courage of saying ‘No’ to any person who wants to have sex with her. This is the only way through which we can put teen pregnancies at bay in our county,” Wanga added.

She advised girls to work hard in academics to enable them to become professionals in future.

“Let no girl be discouraged by poverty in their family. Focus on your academics and you will achieve your dreams in life,” she added.

The governor called on all stakeholders to join hands in fighting the menace.

“We cannot sit pretty because the statistics show that three out of ten girls have been pregnant or will get be pregnant. Let us join hands to end this menace,” she added.

More than five thousand girls were given free sanitary pads. Managing Director of Softcare Peter Zhang said the company donated pads as way of curbing vulnerability of girls who are hoodwinked to give in to sex in exchange for pads.

Zhang said his organization is committed to promoting education of girls in the county.

“We donated sanitary pads to the girls to improve their menstrual hygiene. We want them to use the sanitary pads so that they can continue with school uninterrupted,” Zhang said.

Zhang said Softcare is committed to empowering girls to ensure they become productive in future.

“The future belongs to young people. Empowering these young girls will enable us to have a productive generation in future,” Zhang said.

Ndhiwa Deputy County Commissioner Lucy Ndemo said security personnel in the area were on high alert in the war against defilement.

“Anybody who defiles a child will face consequences of legal action,” Ndemo said.

Chairman of Kenya Secondary School Heads Association Dickens Bula told girls to protect their integrity by standing firm against people who want to violate their sexual rights.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Davis Langat