Meru County is facing a mounting child protection emergency after new figures revealed that more than 4,000 schoolgirls have dropped out of school in the past two years due to teenage pregnancies a trend that has triggered outrage and renewed calls for urgent intervention from leaders, parents and child rights advocates.
The surge in teenage pregnancies, sexual violence and school dropouts has raised concern among local leaders, who say the crisis demands a coordinated response involving families, security agencies, education officials and religious institutions.
Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi disclosed that 17 girls were forced to sit their Grade Six and Grade Nine examinations from maternity wards at Maua Level 5 Hospital this year, illustrating the extent to which early pregnancies continue to disrupt education and derail young girls’ futures.
Speaking during a mentorship session for more than 400 beneficiaries of his Kamashinani Foundation, the senator said he was “deeply shocked” to encounter girls who were already mothers or expectant, describing the situation as a worrying reflection of community failure.
Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi in a jig with the students schooling under his Kamashinani Foundation sponsorship
Murungi criticised the rising practice where families settle defilement and statutory rape cases informally often through livestock or cash negotiations instead of seeking justice through the courts.
“I was shocked that many of the men responsible for impregnating girls as young as nine and fifteen were old men like me,” he said. “It is sad to see very young girls dropping out of school and no action taken because the matter was settled out of court.”
He urged chiefs, assistant chiefs and Nyumba Kumi officials to increase surveillance, protect minors and ensure perpetrators face the law.
“You have a responsibility to safeguard the rights of our children. No negotiations,” he said.
The warnings come just days after a disturbing video surfaced online showing a young woman being gang-raped in Meru an incident that sparked nationwide condemnation and renewed fears over escalating sexual violence in the region.
Nominated MCA Zipporah Kinya also voiced concern, urging young girls to make informed decisions about their wellbeing while calling on leaders to take bold steps to curb gender-based violence, defilement and teenage pregnancies.
“Never make the wrong choice because it will bring you trouble every time,” she said. “It is your responsibility to ensure you don’t get pregnant not your parents’, not your teachers’, and not even the man who impregnates you. Young souls, make the right choice.”
Kinya accused some county officials of neglecting their responsibility to fund community sensitisation programmes despite having sufficient allocations, saying this lack of commitment has worsened the crisis.
“It is shameful that leaders give excuses whereas they have a lot of money and budgets but don’t want to spend any amount to sensitise residents affected by GBV and drought,” she said.
She added that her personal resolve in school not to fall pregnant helped her stay focused, insisting that avoiding early pregnancies gives girls a better chance at completing their education and building meaningful futures.
