The government banned evening prayers popularly known as “kesha” in Narok County after they were linked to teen pregnancies.
Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya announced the directive following rising statistics of early pregnancies among school going teenagers in the county.
Natembeya was speaking during an affirmative action campaign where bursary cheques were issued to students from various institutions.
Narok Woman Representative Soipan Tuya called on local administrators to heighten the fight against female genital mutilation in the region noting it has had devastating effects on the education of girls.
[caption caption="Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya"]
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Early last month, 17 girls from Suswa Girls Secondary School in Narok County were found to be pregnant.
The number of teenage pregnancies in Narok was reported to have hit an all-time high of 40 percent surpassing the national average of 18 percent.
Narok was leading nationally in the number of teen pregnancies, mainly because of high levels of ignorance on sexual reproductive knowledge.
Dr Jeanne Patrick who was addressing headteachers at the 42nd annual Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association conference in Mombasa in 2017 noted that most young girls between the age of 10 and 14 have been impregnated by boda boda riders, adding that there was an urgent need to create awareness among perpetrators and the society.
On average, most teenagers experience their first sexual intercourse at the age of 15, Dr Patrick stated adding that more knowledge on reproductive health contributed to fewer incidents.
[caption caption="A pregnant teen"]
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Nyeri was reported to have the lowest teen pregnancies because of enhanced knowledge among adolescents, she added.
