The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) Chairperson Rehema Dida Jaldesa./COURTERSY
The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has raised concern over child marriage in Kenya, saying about 3.9 million girls and women were married before turning 18.
In a statement ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, the commission called for stricter enforcement of laws against child marriage and more investment in girls’ education, healthcare and protection services.
This year’s commemoration is being held under the theme “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights”, which NGEC said calls for urgent action to protect girls and enable them to shape their own futures.
“Child marriage violates children's rights and perpetuates gender inequality. It compromises girls' health and safety, interrupts their education and limits their future economic opportunities,” the commission said.
According to NGEC, Kenya has made progress in reducing child marriage, with the proportion of women aged 20 to 24 who had married or entered a union before turning 18 declining from 23 per cent in 2014 to 13 per cent in 2022.
However, the commission warned that national figures conceal significant disparities between counties and households, with girls from poorer backgrounds and rural communities facing greater risks.
Citing 2022 data from UNICEF, NGEC said child marriage prevalence stood at 16 per cent in rural areas, compared with nine per cent in urban areas.
The figures also showed that prevalence was 29 per cent among women from the poorest households, compared with six per cent among those from the wealthiest households.
Tana River recorded the highest prevalence at 43 per cent, followed by Marsabit at 40 per cent and Samburu at 37 per cent.
The commission linked child marriage to teenage pregnancy, estimated at 15 per cent nationally, and called for targeted interventions in communities where girls face the greatest risk.
NGEC Chairperson Rehema Jaldesa said Kenya needed to sustain efforts to protect girls, noting that gaps in enforcement and access to support services continued to undermine existing safeguards.
The commission identified poverty, harmful social norms, stigma and limited access to reporting and support services as barriers preventing girls from accessing protection and justice.
It also warned that drought, displacement and other emergencies could disrupt schooling and weaken family protection systems, leaving girls more vulnerable to early marriage.
NGEC called on the National Police Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary to promptly investigate and prosecute child marriage and related offences, while protecting survivors and witnesses from intimidation and further harm.
It further urged the national and county governments to increase investment in bursaries, menstrual health support, life skills, safe spaces and social protection for vulnerable households, particularly in counties with high child marriage prevalence.
The commission also called for universal birth registration and stronger age verification before marriages are registered. It urged authorities to ensure that girls who leave school because of pregnancy or child marriage can resume their education without discrimination.
“Every girl in Kenya deserves a childhood, an education and the freedom to choose her own future,” the commission said.
NGEC urged Kenyans to report children at risk of harm, including early marriage, through the National Child Helpline on 116 or the National GBV Helpline on 1195.
