Nyanza region in Kenya’s Lake Victoria Basin is experiencing one of phenomenally high incidence of defilement and underage pregnancies with fathers, teachers and other family members at the centre of incestuous relationships that record up to 100 new cases every month.

In addition to psychological, emotional and social stigma the girls are infected with HIV, dropout of school.

Nyanza Regional Commissioner Flora Mworoa says the figures have remained stubbornly high, averaging new 70-100 cases every month in the region’s six counties. Many more cases go unreported as families agree to settle matters out of court.

The figure, Mworia said, rises up to 100 in some months, painting a grim picture of widespread abuse across the region. She spoke in Kisumu during the inaugural Seme Sub-County Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), which brought together national and county officials, security agencies, the judiciary and community leaders to confront the crisis.

Consequently, the government has sounded alarm over persistently high cases of child defilement in Nyanza region, warning that sexual violence against minors is driving up teenage pregnancies, school dropout and new HIV infections.

The regional commissioner linked it directly to rising teenage pregnancies in the region, which she said was a threat to the health, education and future of the minors. She disclosed that during last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, some 254 girls sat their examinations while pregnant or shortly after giving birth. Some candidates wrote their papers from maternity wards.

“These pregnancies are not accidental. They are a direct outcome of defilement,” she said, noting that in several cases the perpetrators were people known to the victims, including parents, teachers and close relatives.

Mworoa said defilement, rape, drug abuse and other forms of gender-based violence in the area were closely intertwined, observing that most perpetrators were adult men and that assaults often occurred without protection, exposing victims to HIV and other infections.

Other cases that include sodomy, she said, go unreported due to the stigma associated with it further exacerbating the situation. She called for collective responsibility, stressing that the crisis could not be solved by government alone.

“This is not about blame. It is about all of us taking responsibility and finding practical solutions,” she said.

Seme Member of Parliament James Nyikal observed that the situation was exacerbated by the existence of ‘kangaroo courts’ where parents enter negotiations with the perpetrators to cover up the crime. Dr Nyikal warned communities against settling defilement and rape cases outside the law, describing such arrangements as illegal and morally indefensible.

“A criminal offence cannot be negotiated. Any agreement reached after rape or defilement is itself a crime,” Dr Nyikal said, citing the Sexual Offences Act and the Children Act.

He criticised families and community members who conceal abuse, saying silence enables perpetrators to continue offending.

“If you know it happened and you did nothing, you too have committed a crime,” he said and challenged the Children’s Department to commission scientific research to generate data that would inform effective policy and other interventions.

“We must establish who is committing these crimes, their ages and the reasons behind them. Without data, our response will remain guesswork,” he said.

Nyanza Regional Director of Children Services Beatrice Obutu said the vulnerability of children in the region and Seme Sub-County in particular was heightened by their sheer numbers. According to the 2019 census, Seme Sub-county, she said, has a population of 121,663, with about 63,000 children, nearly evenly split between boys and girls.

“When more than half of your population is children, protection cannot be optional,” Obutu said, urging communities to interrogate cultural practices and adult behaviour that expose children to harm.

She warned that failure to act perpetuates cycles of violence that ultimately harm the entire society.

Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Gender Beatrice Odongo attributed the rise in SGBV cases to poverty, limited access to information and education, indiscipline, and risky behaviour among youth.

She urged parents to take the lead in enforcing behaviour change, noting that Seme’s high numbers could reflect better reporting rather than uniquely high incidence. “This does not mean other parts of Kisumu are safe. It may simply mean cases are not being reported,” she said.

Odongo said the Kisumu County Government has enacted a Gender Mainstreaming Policy tackle SGBV through community engagement, involving men and boys, and strengthening support for survivors.

 Nyanza Regional Police Commander Evelyn Nyamohanga said the existence of kangaroo courts was the weakest link in the fight against the crime, with some of the cases not proceeding to court due to lack of evidence.

Prosecutions, Ms Nyamohanga said, are often weakened when witnesses and victims withdraw from cases.

“Justice is a process. When witnesses pull out, cases collapse and survivors are denied justice,” she said and called for cooperation between communities and law enforcement agencies.

Seme Deputy County Commissioner Elizabeth Owendi cited a recent case involving a school-going girl who was taken from home earlier this month by a man who planned to move her to Nairobi. She questioned whether such incidents arise from ignorance of the law, harmful cultural norms or deliberate disregard for children’s rights, underscoring the role of village elders and community leaders in prevention.

 “Village elders know what is happening in their communities. They must be part of the solution,” Owendi said.

The conference, themed, “From Coordination to Action: Strengthening Local Systems against SGBV in Seme Sub-County,” she said, aimed to chart a coordinated response to the crisis. Owendi said resolutions from the forum would guide practical action to curb defilement, teenage pregnancies and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence in the sub-county.        

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Chris Mahandara