Busia
By Celine Wamala
As the country ponders on the next move to curb the spread of the Covid19 that has seen at least 278 deaths reported with over 16,000 patients having tested positive of the deadly virus, a new vice has taken a toll on teenage girls in Busia County.
Menstrual challenges has forced many girls in the county to auction their bodies to truck drivers , boda boda operators and other sex pests in return for sanitary towels in a popular fast rising culture dubbed ‘sex for pads’.
Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the situation as many school going girls between the age 10-19 years are lured to engage into sexual escapades with truck drivers currently stranded at both the Malaba and Busia border as they wait for their test results for deadly virus where majority of them have tested positive.
In the last five months, at least 2,550 teenage pregnancies have been reported in the county.
In the last five months, at least 2,550 teenage pregnancies have been reported in the county.
In some instances, individuals who pass themselves off as guardians to these girls have been found to be the culprits. They prey on the girls and turn them into sex objects, while threatening them with dire consequences if they dare report them.
Chiefs and assistant chiefs have also been accused of abating the vice by resorting to Kangaroo courts to reach agreement with parents, victims and the culprits.
“The department has organised sensitization meetings across the county to educate girls on effects of early pregnancy. We are calling upon parents to take good care of their teenage girls as the government fights the spread of Covid-19. When schools re-open in January next year, we want all our girls back to school,” said Mr. Mukolwe.
In an exclusive interview with the County Splash News, Patrick Mukolwe, the deputy director Incharge of Children Services in Busia County said that the numbers are likely to increase by September saying that the closure of schools further worsened the situation.
Mukolwe stated that exposure to poverty, lack of parental care, social media influence and watching of porn programs by the teenagers were some of the reasons they were engaging in illicit sexual affairs thus risking their lives.
“The department has organised sensitization meetings across the county to educate girls on effects of early pregnancy. We are calling upon parents to take good care of their teenage girls as the government fights the spread of Covid19. When schools re-open in January next year, we want all our girls back to school,” said Mr. Mukolwe.
Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’s gender adviser, Pascalia Makonjio, who has been in the forefront in taming the vice said that they will do everything humanly possible to arrest the situation to save the girls from sexual predators.
Mary Makokha, the director of Rural Education and Economic Enhancement Programme (Reep) urged law enforcers to ensure sex pests are imprisoned and appealed to parents to take the responsibility of protecting their teenage girls from sexual exploitation.
Mary Makokha, the director of Rural Education and Economic Enhancement Programme (Reep) urged law enforcers to ensure sex pests are imprisoned and appealed to parents to take the responsibility of protecting their teenage girls from sexual exploitation.
Makokha said that her organisation is issuing sanitary towels to vulnerable girls to tame the vice. She also linked the spiraling moral decadence to poor parenting and lack of mentorship.
Bungoma County during the same period has reported 6000 cases while Kakamega reported 7000 cases of underage girls who have since been impregnated.
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