Teens resort to pregnancy to fight menstrual poverty

Bungoma happens to be one of the most affected regions in the country not only in matters teenage pregnancies but also gender-based violence.

With an estimated age of 17 years for sex debut in the region, schoolgirls remain the most vulnerable lot in all aspects of the triple threat — HIV, GBV and adolescent pregnancies.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has noted an increase in teenage pregnancy rate from 17 per cent in 2020 to 19 per cent in 2024.

Lobby groups and humanitarian organisations say parents, teachers and health stakeholders have failed the girls.

They risk raising an illiterate and frustrated generation, where women lack self-awareness, knowledge and empowerment.

Research shows teenage pregnancies and, in adverse cases, early marriages, are catalysed by limited or lack of knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene.

Dr Barasa Chauni from Kibabii University’s Research department says menstrual hygiene is a key factor in the performance of girls and women even at higher learning institutions.

“We have a project currently in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, where we strengthen the performance of female students in mathematics,” he said.

“However, we realised that lack of menstrual health knowledge is a hindrance to their studies regardless of their age.”

It, however, becomes difficult to train a girl on menstrual hygiene when she cannot even afford a sanitary towel. 

CRUEL CHOICE

Many girls in rural and underserved urban areas struggle to access affordable and reliable menstrual products.

They end up using alternative products, such as newspapers, leaves, pieces of mattress and rags, which may cause infections.

Bungoma GBV coordinator Janet Khisa says some girls choose pregnancy as a method to escape buying sanitary towels since they cannot afford any.

She sniffs and blinks her eyes to stop tears from rolling as she recounts how a girl confessed to aborting twice a year so she could not drop out of school.

“In some of our routine school visits, some girls revealed that they conceived and aborted the pregnancy at around four months so they can continue with their studies uninterrupted,” Khisa said.

Maria* (not her real name) is a Form 3 student at a day school in one of the remote areas in Bungoma county.

Her sister left home at barely 13 to get married off to an older man since her parents could not afford to retrain her in school a whole term.

“My elder sister could miss school at least thrice a week during her menses, and the daunting reality is that my parents could not and still cannot afford to buy pads for us,” she said emotionally.

As much as it is disheartening, Maria’s situation is no different from her sister’s, but she chooses to look at her situation from a different angle.

“I had to leave home to go and live with a relative where I could at least get a decent meal, sanitary towels and some support for my education,” she said.

“I wish teachers and well-wishers could also assist students like me.”

Though she may struggle a bit, she’s at least pursuing her education as she’d yearned to.

She is lucky she found a safe haven. Many girls have sought refuge like her only for their benefactors to turn out as wolves in sheep’s skin.

UNCLE FROM HELL

Ann is a woman in her 20s is from Mt Elgon, a subcounty that stands at the boundary of Uganda and Kenya.

Though she cannot disguise the naivety in her eyes, she strives to wear a tough face as she explains how she was defiled by her maternal uncle after she ran to his home to seek refuge and at least continue with her education since his family was well off.

“Not that my uncle was that rich, but at least he was not poor like us,” she recounts with wracking pain.

“We were displaced during the 2007 clashes in Mt Elgon and our family became refugees in neighbouring subcounties, we were actually scattered.”

Ann’s chest heaved with each sob and tears streamed down her chubby cheeks relentlessly. She could not hold the thought that her uncle made her childless for life.

“He could come to my room almost every night and defile me as he warned me sternly of what could happen if I disclosed the matter to any living soul,” Ann narrated, burying her face in her hands.

By the time her teachers realised there was something wrong with her and rushed her to hospital, it was too late. Now she can never conceive normally.

“I decided to leave the matter to God. I ran away and started doing small businesses to sustain my life since I knew pretty well that no man especially from my community would ever think of marrying a barren woman, let alone one who was defiled by her uncle," she said.

She blames her predicament on poverty, pointing out that many girls have suffered because of lack of menstrual health education and even where knowledge was present, they still could not afford a sanitary pad.

“I have three friends I know of who aborted their four-to-five-month pregnancies not as a hobby but as a measure to keep them in school,” Ann said.

“Two of them have never conceived to date and the other one, we lost touch.”  

WAY FORWARD

Though Kenya has made progress in reducing the national prevalence of teenage pregnancy, wide disparities remain.

This is informed by education levels, geographic location and wealth among the population.

The adolescent birth rate, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022, declined from 96 out of 1,000 in 2014 to 73 out of 1,000 in 2022.

By last year, data indicates that at least one in every five teenage girls between 15 and 19 had either had a live birth or was currently pregnant.

With poverty and lack of education being associated with higher rates, regional disparities stand out.

For example, counties like Samburu had the highest prevalence at 50 per cent, West Pokot at 36 per cent, Baringo at 20 per cent and Bungoma at 19per cent.

Ann, who is now a gender inclusivity champion, says stakeholders should take a bold step to change the narrative of young girls who remain vulnerable in society to save the current and future generation.

She cites stakeholders in the health sector, education department, media fraternity and the government.

They should carry out menstrual health campaigns and ensure sanitary towels are available, she says.

Support groups have also been using avenues such as sports to shield the girls from exploitation.