By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
Busia County Deputy Governor Arthur Odera has called for concerted efforts by parents, teachers, religious leaders and other stakeholders to curb teenage pregnancies, warning that the cases continue to threaten girls’ education and wellbeing.
Speaking to the media in his office, Odera, who also serves as the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health, described teenage pregnancies as an “epidemic that is eating our societies,” noting that although the county’s prevalence rate had declined, some sub-counties had recorded an increase.
“In 2022, as a county, we were at 19 per cent, but today we are at 16.9 per cent. Alarmingly, Bunyala Sub-County registered an increase from 19.4 to 20.8 per cent over the year, while Butula also recorded an increase from 18.4 to 19.4 per cent,” he said.
Odera said other sub-counties had recorded reductions, with Nambale declining from 21.1 to 16 per cent, Samia from 23.7 to 18.6 per cent, Teso Central from 20.4 to 18.7 per cent, Teso North from 20.4 to 13.7 per cent and Teso South from 17.1 to 14.6 per cent.
He revealed that of the 16,379 pregnancies recorded in the county so far this year, 2,771 involved adolescent girls.
“We are urging parents, religious leaders, political leaders, teachers and all stakeholders to support our girls as they grow. We also need to educate them so that they can make informed decisions and avoid pregnancy while underage,” he said.
Odera emphasised the need to create an environment that allows girls to remain in school and complete their studies before making decisions about parenthood.
“As a society, we need to create values that help our girls grow, thrive, go to school and complete their studies before they make their decisions to have children,” he added.
He said the county government had established committees across the sub-counties to work with stakeholders and adolescent girls through sensitisation and education programmes.
According to Odera, access to contraceptives for girls aged 15 and above was among the measures being used to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
“There is also a change in the policy regarding girls, where at the age of 15 they can access contraceptives. If they engage in sexual intercourse, they should protect themselves from infections and pregnancies,” he said.
He also attributed teenage pregnancies partly to inadequate parental supervision and easy access to pornographic content on social media.
“Parenting has declined, as some parents do not care about the whereabouts of their children. The prevalence of social media has made access to pornographic content very easy for young girls. With education, awareness and the ability to get help, we can tackle this problem and reduce these cases.” He said.
The DG issued a warning that individuals involved in sexual abuse and exploitation of minors would face legal action, noting that the county government was working with security agencies to pursue perpetrators.
“We are working closely with the security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure that perpetrators face the law. We are also conducting sensitization so that everyone can understand the importance of protecting and taking care of our girls in society,” he said.
