Naisula Lesuuda, Samburu West legislator, has called for greater societal collaboration to reduce the country’s pervasiveness of teen pregnancies.
Lesuuda, while speaking to the Press (Capital FM), said that the society had neglected its responsibility to take care of the girl child, calling for more community involvement and policy-makers to arrest the situation.
Describing the current state of teen pregnancies in the country, she said it’s “quite disturbing”, hence the need for everyone to take the lead to manage the situation.
This is something that all of us, the leaders, policy-makers, the society and the community around these children, have to take a responsibility to make sure that we mentor these children in the right way,” she said.
Her appeal comes after it emerged that at least 140 girls in Primary schools and 108 others in Secondary schools in Narok County alone, sitting for their national examination this year, are pregnant.
“We have become very individualistic and capitalist, and no one is really taking care of these children in terms of advice and mentorship,” she added.
Lesuuda emphasized the need for parents and teachers to take the lead in ensuring children’s safety at home and school.
“Everybody has a role to play so that we don’t blame or point fingers at anyone for not taking responsibility, so everybody has to take a role in ensuring that we have this conversation,” she said
She further noted that society needs to amplify the conversations on reproductive health more than ever.
“We have also debated about when is too early to have this conversation with our children and our girls, but I think the whole issue of reproductive health and talking to our children at an early age, especially the adolescent girls is something that we have to really look at,” Lesuuda said.
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