Police seek those responsible after 36 girls at Bakisa Girls School become pregnant

Police and local administrators have launched investigations after 36 girls at a school in Webuye, Bungoma County, became pregnant, with authorities seeking to identify those responsible.

The school principal said 13 of the girls have already given birth, 13 are expectant, while 10 dropped out after becoming pregnant.

Webuye East Assistant County Commissioner Emmanuel Kenga said police were conducting investigations to establish what happened and apprehend those found responsible.

“We will follow up those cases one after the other, including those reported in the past,” Kenga said.

The school has appealed for support to construct a dormitory, saying the girls’ daily journeys between school and home expose them to risks that could contribute to teenage pregnancies.

“Their movement from school back home every day is actually a contributing factor to this mess,” the principal said.

The revelations have renewed concern over the protection of girls from sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly in communities where cases of teenage pregnancy remain high.

The 2026 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that 235,938 adolescents aged 10 to 19 presented with pregnancy at their first antenatal care visit in 2025.

The figure was down from 241,228 in 2024, but pregnancies among children aged 10 to 14 increased from 10,126 to 11,605 over the same period.

The 15–19 age group accounted for 224,333 cases in 2025.

The survey cautions that the figures represent adolescents presenting for their first antenatal visit and therefore may not capture every pregnancy.

County-level data showed Nairobi had the highest number of adolescent pregnancies in 2025, followed by Kakamega, Narok and Bungoma.

Bungoma recorded 10,443 cases, placing it among the counties with the highest numbers nationally.

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The latest figures have come amid renewed attention to the challenges facing teenage mothers.

In February, the Social Health Authority said its Teen Mothers Programme had registered 48,273 teenage mothers across 44 counties between October 2024 and December 2025.

A Gender and Child Protection Desk officer said authorities were concerned that only one of the 36 cases had been reported by parents to the police.

“We have found only one parent and we are going to check why they were not accorded help. For all the 36 cases, we want all the parents to come to the station because we are going to look for you,” she said.

The officer urged parents to report cases without fear of being charged, saying support was available for affected girls.

“We have civil societies that are supporting us. You will be provided with transport and you will not pay anything at the hospital. And while at the hospital, you will also be given lunch,” she said.

Speaking at the school on Friday, Kenga linked activities associated with the ongoing circumcision season in parts of western Kenya to the risk of heightened teen pregnancies, warning against the brewing and consumption of traditional liquor during the ceremonies.

He said authorities would work to prevent the brewing of traditional liquor in homesteads during the period, which is expected to run until December.

“Some of our cultures have been overtaken by civilisation. You don’t have to be drunk for you to circumcise your child,” Kenga said.

He said practices that conflict with the law should not be allowed to continue.

“People should be sober. We cannot have a drunkard population and expect our children to be safe in the same society,” he said.

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