Concern over fertile teenagers in Kenya
Publish date: 12 August 2019
Issue Number: 836
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Kenya
Kenyan parents are putting children as young as 10 on contraceptives in an attempt to keep them in school. One in five females between the ages of 15 and 19 are reported to be pregnant or have given birth. In Kwale County near the coast, the rates of girls dropping out of school due to pregnancy are among the highest in the country. A reproductive health nurse told the BBC that about 10% of females who requested contraceptives were below the age of 14. He said it was worrying that they were only concerned about pregnancy, but not about contracting HIV or sexually transmitted infections.
