Kajiado leads in pregnancies among girls aged 10–14

Pregnancies among girls aged between 10 and 14 continued to rise in 2025, with Kajiado County leading the list of the top 10 counties with the highest number of cases, according to the 2026 Economic Survey.

The report shows Kajiado recorded 936 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14, followed by Garissa County with 725 cases, Homa Bay County with 648, Narok County with 601 and Turkana County with 600. Other counties in the top 10 were Meru County with 556 cases, Mandera County with 535, Nairobi City County with 483, Kitui County with 413 and West Pokot County with 400.

The Economic Survey 2026 notes that adolescent pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 19 increased by 2.2 per cent to 235,900 in 2025, with pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 rising by a sharper 14.6 per cent.

“Overall, pregnancy cases increased by 2.2 per cent to 235.9 thousand in 2025, with pregnancies among adolescents aged 10–14 rising by 14.6 per cent,” the Economic Survey 2026 states.

The figures have renewed concern over child pregnancies in Kenya, particularly in the 10–14 age group, which are often linked to sexual violence, early marriages, poverty and limited access to reproductive health education.

Although Nairobi ranked eighth among counties with pregnancies in the 10–14 bracket, it recorded the highest overall number of adolescent pregnancies aged 10 to 19 at 14,291 cases.

The county also saw pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 more than double from 234 cases in 2024 to 483 in 2025, signalling a growing urban child protection crisis.

Kakamega County, which ranked second overall in total adolescent pregnancies, recorded 205 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 and 11,630 among those aged 15 to 19. Narok, which was third overall nationally, posted 601 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 and 10,333 among girls aged 15 to 19.

“The rise among children aged 10 to 14 remains particularly alarming due to the health, legal and social implications involved,” the report states.

Health experts have previously warned that teenage and child pregnancies contribute significantly to school dropouts, poor maternal health outcomes and cycles of poverty, especially in vulnerable communities.

Counties such as Bungoma, Migori, Homa Bay and Kajiado were also flagged for persistently high adolescent pregnancy numbers, reflecting regional disparities in healthcare access and child protection systems.

The report further calls for stronger enforcement of laws protecting children, especially against defilement and exploitation, noting that pregnancies among very young girls point to deeper safeguarding failures.