Nairobi News

Over the weekend, Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka called for the banning of pregnant teens from school as a measure to curb what he believes is a crisis in his county.

Bungoma County recorded about 26,000 teen pregnancies between 2021 and June 2023

According to media reports, he said that while many people saw it as a non-issue to allow pregnant girls back into school after finding out, they are in the family way, it should now be discouraged as a means to deter other young girls from getting pregnant.

“We can say that once pregnant school girls are allowed in school and that will be the end of her education. That will act as a deterrent for those who may be tempted to get pregnant,” said Governor Lusaka in part.

Also read: Denial? Government responds to teenage pregnancy

Following this news, a section of Kenyans were up in uproar as many termed the Governor’s stance as discriminative and despicable.

“Carcinogenic warfare continues on the gal child. Wake up Lusaka, we are in the 21st century, we are almost building creches in schools. Really now 🙆🏾‍♂️#FactsMatter,” asid Kanyi Gioko.

“Child pregnancy is a society problem whose solution cannot be to punish the child victims or relegating them to the fringes of society by denying them education,” added Paul Rukaria.

“How backward can someone be? You feel sometimes ashamed for yr agemates. Have they learned nothing during their lives?” asked Eugene Nijssen.

“So what about the boys and men responsible? In my view the girls should be helped to go back to school within 6 months just like working mothers do during maternal leave,” opined Moses Ndegerege.

“Does wisdom really come with age or even experiences of life?” asked Blaire Libabu.

“Why? That’s harsh punishment, considering that education would rid them of ignorance that most likely caused the unwanted pregnancy. Denying them education is a lifetime condemnation, from a single unintended mistake. I don’t support,” added Samuel Kinyanjui.

“That is discrimination of the highest order. We all have the right to education,” said Emmanuel Kipngeno.

Also read: Inside Kenya’s teen pregnancy crisis

In June 2017, former Tanzania president, the late John Pombe Magufuli, also advocated for the same ban on pregnant teens. He vowed that as long as he was president, no pregnant student would be allowed to step foot back in school and that their education was done for.

He also believed that pregnant teens would be too distracted to concentrate on their studies and would become bad influences on other girls in school.

This stance is in contradiction to his party’s manifesto that promised to allow all pregnant school girls to continue with their education.

However, in November 2021, the ban on pregnant school girls going to school was lifted, and a road map on how pregnant teens and young mothers would return to school was unveiled.

The late Magufuli’s sentiments echoed a 1960s policy that became law in 2002, whereby Tanzanian law banned young mothers from attending school and was reinforced in 2017 before finally banned in 2021 following outcry in Tanzania.