Uhuru to chiefs: You will pay for rising teen pregnancies

President Uhuru Kenyatta has heaped blame on chiefs for the rise in teen pregnancies.

Uhuru said chiefs must be firm and follow the example of Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya, who warned chiefs they will be liable for teen pregnancies in their subcounties.

The President was speaking during the roll out of the Kazi Mtaani youth employment programme on Thursday.

"You must also be firm. Vile naona Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya anaongea huku... hiyo ndio kuonyesha kuna serikali (just like I've seen George Natambeya doing there. that shows there is an authority in place)," he said.

"Sio kubembelezana kila wakati. Unasimama unaonyesha kuna serikali hapa. People must be disciplined and do what they are supposed to be doing. (It's not about being soft on people. You must stand up and show there is a government in place.)"

Uhuru asked how chiefs could allow girls to be abused as they keep watch.

"How do we allow people to go around impregnating small girls and we don't speak about it? tutagonjea DNA halafu wewe ndio utachukua huo mzigo na utalipa (We will wait for DNA results and you are the ones who will bear that burden)," he said.

"..na wewe chief lazima utasema what you were doing when these children were being abused (You will also have to explain what you were doing when children were being abused)."

On Thursday, Kakamega county reported 6,686 adolescent pregnancies between January and May this year.

Lugari sub-county has the highest number at 795, followed by Malava and Mumias West subcounties at 565 and 622 respectively. Mumias East has the lowest at 441 pregnancies.

The number of teen pregnancies has been on a steady rise from 4,206 in 2016 to 17, 555 last year.

In most cases, the perpetrators are usually people well known to the victim like an uncle, a brother or a stepbrother and sometimes even grandparents, according to police records. 

Some of the pregnancies of girls aged between 10 and 19 have been blamed on boda boda operators, pastors and magicians.