More than 200 schoolgirls fall pregnant in Busia since March
Henry Andanje
A total of 219 schoolgirls in Busia County have been impregnated since March, the county Children’s Officer Esther Wasige has revealed.
Wasige said majority of the girls impregnated are Under-18 years, adding that most of them fell into the trap due to the current Covid-19 pandemic long school holidays.
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Speaking in Busia, the officer said some of the school girls are idle because they lack supervision from their parents and thus are able to loiter in the market centres they way they like.
“Some of the school girls are idle because they lack supervision from their parents getting freedom to loiter in markets centres and in town the way they want,” said Wasige.
She said some of the girls have been impregnated by their male colleagues while others are lured into sex by adult men who use money as bait.
Wasige appealed to parents to be more careful and keen by taking extra caution in order to curb cases of pregnancies and use of drugs in general.
At the same time, Education Ministry will identify all girls in primary and secondary schools who are pregnant when schools will be reopened.
The Western Regional Director of education Stephen Barongo said the Ministry said will establish the number of girls pregnant during the Covid-19 pandemic long holidays.
He said that a roll call will be taken among all girls in primary and secondary schools to establish those who will be pregnant during this holidays.
“It is not easy to know the exact number of girls who could be pregnant now until when schools will start operating,” said Barongo.
Crosshead
In an exclusive interview with People Daily, the RDE warned that male teachers who might take advantage of Covid-19 pandemic to impregnate innocent schoolgirls will not be spared.
He said that teachers must observe teaching professional ethics and are not supposed to engage in love affairs with school girls,” said Barongo.
The education boss said that teachers must take the responsibility of protecting schoolgirls as their guardians, whether in school or not.
He said that teachers must report people who molest schoolgirls to their parents including boda boda operators who lure them into love affairs using their motorbikes.
