By Okong’o Oduya
Busia County, Kenya: 2,550 adolescent girls are reported to be expectant in Busia County, according to the department of children. As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Kenya many children have faced the secondary effects of the virus, especially the girls.
The report says between the month of January and June this year, 2550 girls between the ages of 10-19 are pregnant. The report further reveals that by May 2020, 77 children below the age of fourteen years were pregnant.
2, 473 girls between the ages of 15-19 years were found to be not less than three months old pregnancy.
According to the director’s children department, Busia County Esther Wasige, Butula Sub- County reported 517 cases, followed by Matayos Sub County with 448; Teso North with 441; Nambale 364, Teso South 340, Samia Sub County had 252 and Bunyala Sub County reported 188 cases respectively.
According to her Butula recorded the highest numbers of cases because they are most cases are reported unlike other sub Counties between the month of January and May 2020.
Cases reduced by 494 this year compared to the last year within the same period of January and May.
The report shows that in January this year, Busia reported 599 cases compared to 816 pregnancies in January last year.
Ms. Wasige attributed to a number of reasons being behind the pregnancies. She says by raising girls’ awareness of their sexual and reproductive health and rights will play a big role in protecting them from early pregnancies.
According to Mary Makokha, Director Rural Empowerment and Economic program, the period children have been at home as measures to fight covid-19 her office has rescued 62 girls from early marriages.
“During this covid-19 period we have rescued 62 girls from marriages and 18 girls have been defiled and as we speak I am heading to Samia where I have received a report of a man who has defiled a 15-year-old girl. We have also received more than 200 cases of domestic violence where parents go physical before children which is affecting them psychologically,” she said.
She says domestic violence in many homes in Kenya during this covid-19 period is affecting children, some being forced to sleep out in the cold endangering their lives.
Jamila, not her real name is 15 years old a standard 8 pupil from one of the primary school in Matayos Sub County in Busia County is 3 month pregnant.
She says she was lured into sex by one of the administration police officer attached at local chief’s camp resulting in premature pregnancy. The girl says the administration police promised to educate and later on marry her that is why she fell in his trap.
She narrates how she has been sneaking from her grandmother’s home to go to the officer’s house at night and after the act she could go home with sh200.
“It started in December last year when I met the officer on the road going to fetch water, he promised to take care of me and even educate me. That is how I fell in his trap. I could sneak to his house at night then he gives me 200 shillings when we are done.
The whole thing came to the public when one night my grandmother realized I was missing. That is when I was traced to the chief’s camp. When she came to report that as missing I didn’t come out, but later I revealed that indeed I was seeing the officer, but it was too late.” She narrated.
According to Ms. Makokha, any case involving police officers is never handled properly. She says many cases files get lost or the accused officer is always transferred to other working stations hampering investigations.
In Kaliwa Teso South, parents are seeking justice claiming that a certain teacher and neighbor is engaged in love affairs with their 15-year-old daughter.
Michael Omukaga is the father to the girl who says the teacher has been waylaying the girl at night on her way to the house where she sleeps and has affairs with her, which made it a habit.
Lucy Amuse the mother to then the girl says despite getting the teacher with their form one, daughter a student at St. Jacobs Kaliwa secondary school their effort to seek justice has remained futile.
She says despite filing a complaint to the chief at Kaliwa location, nothing has been forthcoming.
According to her, the said teacher has a habit of impregnating school-going children and still allowed to walk freely.
She says last year, Mr. Jully Akhudu a teacher at Sidelewa primary school impregnated a form four student from the same school but the child died and was buried in his home.
However, Wasige is urging parents to start implementing comprehensive education on sexuality and relationships to a girl child as a way of tackling the root causes of adolescent pregnancies.
Jean-Paul Murunga is a lawyer and program officer, End sexual violence at Equality now says the offense of defilement contrary to section 8(1) of sexual offenses Act, which provides: A person who commits an act which causes penetration with a child is guilty of offense termed defilement and depending on the age of the victims, i.e. if under eleven years shall upon conviction be sentenced to imprisonment for life.
When dealing with sexual offenses involving underage maturity the court is entitled to apply section 124 of the Evidence Act on corroboration.
In the absence of corroboration, the provision of section 124 provides that where criminal case involving a sexual offense the only evidence is that of the alleged victim of the offense the court shall receive the evidence of the alleged victim and proceed to convict the accused person.
According to Mary Makokha , many cases involving defilement of minors in the county take a long time in court, especially those involving police officers and other influential people in the community.
She adds that the victims eventually lose the case due to reasons not understandable.
