A total of 254,753 pregnancies were reported among adolescents aged between the ages of 10 to 19 years in 2023.
Data from the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) shows 12, 966 of the pregnancies were reported among adolescents aged between 10 to 14 years while 241,757 were among those aged 15 to 19 years.
The data presented by the NSDCC CEO Ruth Laibon-Masha during the just concluded 14th Kemri Annual Scientific and Health conference showed that adolescents accounted for 17 per cent of antenatal clinic clients in 2023.
This is a slight drop from 260,734 cases in 2022, 316,187 in 2021 and 331,549 cases in 2020.
“We are also confronted with another challenge of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence; we have been speaking on the fact that if we do not do anything about the numbers that we see of the cases of SGBV it is difficult for us to end an epidemic such as HIV,” Masha said.
This is even as the data shows that 20,143 Sexual and Gender Violence cases were reported among adolescents aged between 10 to 17 years in 2023.
This represents 37 per cent of all SGBV cases reported in 2023 which were 53,960.
Out of the number, 3,403 were among children aged less than nine years.
Of greater concern is that only 40 per cent of the cases reported were presented to health facilities within 72 hours.
The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC) CEO Ruth Laibon-Masha and Head, Sexual Reproductive Adolescent Child Health- Research Programme at Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) Nelly Mugo speaks during the 14th Kemri Scientific and Health Conference on February 16, 2024
Image: Magdaline Saya
At the first entry to care girls or survivors of SGBV especially those who have been sexually violated are normally given Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP), medicine taken to prevent someone from getting HIV.
“We are concerned that the uptake is lower, we only have about 40 per cent of those being sexually violated being able to report to health facilities within 72 hours so this is a major concern,” Masha said.
“We are also looking at our outcome data, especially those who then get the medication and still we see we have 1,300 pregnancies last year from that group of 10 to 17, we had 183 getting HIV as a result of sexual violence experience,” she noted.
Ten counties accounted for more than 50 per cent of SGBV cases reported among adolescents aged 10 to 17 years.
They include Tana River, Embu, Kilifi, Migori, Kisumu, Isiolo, Kwale, Trans Nzoia, Mandera and Lamu.
Masha now calls for a whole-government and society approach towards ending new HIV infections, pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence cases among adolescent girls in Kenya.
She noted that when compared with older women, adolescent and young mothers have worse HIV-related outcomes.
These, she said, include higher new infections of HIV during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and lower rates of retention in HIV care and treatment
“Adolescent pregnancy is a proxy indicator of heightened risk to HIV infection. Sexual and Gender-based violence increases the risk of HIV,” she said.
Masha further noted that pregnancy among adolescent girls is often associated with negative health and social outcomes to both the mother and baby.
It may lead to intergenerational cycles of poverty, poor education and unemployment.