Lamu -More than 1,000 teenage girls in Lamu County have become pregnant in the past 18 months many, rights groups say, as a result of rape, defilement, and early marriage. As the numbers grow, so does the outrage.
The government, they argue, has done little to intervene.
A report by the Lamu County Gender Sector Working Group, submitted to the national task force on gender-based violence and femicide, shows 789 cases were recorded in 2024. By May 2025, another 284 had already been reported.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) say the numbers represent more than just a social crisis they reflect a failure of leadership.
“This inaction leaves these girls vulnerable to sexual violence, without access to critical health services, and unable to complete their education,” the groups said in a joint statement this week.
According to MUHURI, a large portion of the pregnancies stem from abuse often at the hands of adults. Some involve girls as young as 13.
The scale of the problem is not limited to Lamu. A 2023 report by the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) found that an average of 696 adolescent girls became pregnant every day across the country.
In 2024, KHRC released a list of the 10 counties with the highest number of teen pregnancies among girls aged 15 to 19. Lamu featured prominently. Using data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the group also identified counties contributing most to the crisis per capita.
As part of a symbolic protest, KHRC issued red cards to the Health Cabinet Secretary and governors of the hardest-hit counties, declaring them “unfit for public office.”
But symbolism, activists say, is not enough.
The KHRC has since filed formal petitions to Parliament and the Council of Governors, calling for action. Among the demands: summoning county leaders to explain what they’re doing to protect girls, and ensuring the Education and Health ministries uphold their mandates.
They want Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba brought before the National Assembly to account for what steps his ministry is taking to support pregnant girls in returning to school.
The Health Ministry, they argue, must also answer for its failure to provide sexual and reproductive health services to teens many of whom are now mothers.
“Our daughters’ lives are hanging in the balance, and many will never get a second chance,” the KHRC and MUHURI statement read. “We cannot give failed leaders another opportunity to serve in public office and continue to destroy the lives of our girls.”
The Children’s Act and Kenya’s Constitution require parents and the state to safeguard minors. But in many cases, that protection is absent.
Forced marriages remain a reality in parts of Lamu. So does the stigma that often sees pregnant schoolgirls pushed out of classrooms, despite a national re-entry policy meant to protect their right to education.
The KHRC is calling on governors to work with community health promoters and education officers to identify at-risk girls, support survivors, and ensure schools remain open to all.
With the 2027 general election drawing closer, rights groups are urging voters to hold leaders accountable. They want transparency, justice for victims, and meaningful prevention strategies not just political promises.
So far, no public response has come from the Council of Governors, the Ministry of Health, or the Education Ministry.
But for the girls in Lamu many now navigating motherhood before adulthood time is running out.
