Nakhumicha banks on women leaders to end early sex, teen pregnancies

The cases were mostly perpetrated against young women, girls and children.

Sadly, 3,203 of the cases recorded were children aged zero to nine years.

In a joke meant to send a strong message to perpetrators of teenage pregnancies, she said "We need to get a digital gadget to be fixed on men anytime they make an adolescent, or a school girl pregnant, it clicks and records somewhere so that we can trace and act"

Nakhumicha spoke during the women's leadership summit held in Bungoma County.

The summit brought together women leaders from the Western region and across the country.

During the summit, Western Block to end the Triple Threat was officially launched.

A triple threat is a syndemic encounter where girls are sexually abused coupled with early pregnancies and HIV infections.

"We have the evidence, and data is being presented in health facilities, but we are telling you (CS) that we are overwhelmed.

We cannot deal with this issue alone; it needs all of us. It needs the government, but it also needs the society and all sectors," said Dr Masha.

Masha said among initiatives set by NSDCC to reduce HIV infections among adolescents and young people, is increasing knowledge on prevention for HIV.

The CEO added that it is also key for the country to increase the age for sex.

"We don't want our children to have sex early. Early sex is not just HIV. It's sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer.

I know when we were young, no one told us the relationship between sex, HPV and cervical cancer. We were never told this, we were just told its pregnancy, HIV, syphilis, gonorrhoea, and the rest," said the CEO.

The CEO echoed Nakhumicha's speech on HIV infections, noting that 75 per cent of all HIV infections are among young people.

"Our younger people, and our younger men, we are saying it is not yet over. AIDS is not yet over. We offer medicines, but the gains we have made are fragile.

When we look at our data, the number of people living with HIV on treatment increased, but the challenge is the resources are few. We must look at stopping infections," said the official.

On pregnancies, Masha said, "When we look at pregnancies, sometimes it looks like a surprise. In 2018, 275,00 girls were pregnant. I think this was the first time we could have identified this as a problem. Last year, 254,000 visited ANC clinics, but what is interesting is children aged 10 to 14 years"

Masha said NSDCC in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Education and other stakeholders want to make sure adolescent mothers get back to school and educate the community to stop complacency.

On her part, Bungoma Deputy Governor Jenipher Mbatiany asked women leaders to raise resources to support girls from poor family backgrounds with sanitary towels in schools.

Bungoma County is leading in Sexual and gender-based violence and is ranked among the top counties in new HIV infections.

"Bungoma has in the recent past featured bad news. We are not doing well. When high cases of GBV and teen pregnancies are raised, Bungina becomes the main talk" said Mbayiany.

Recently, at least 54 girls in a single school in Bungoma were reported to be pregnant.

The Deputy Governor said a list of shame of men impregnating girls should be provided to help fight the vice.