A plan to test schoolgirls for pregnancy before the start of the next term in January was on Tuesday announced by Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya.
Natembeya stated that appropriate action could be taken once pregnant minors attending various schools were identified early.
He maintained that the move would help in curbing rising cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages.
Natembeya further promised stern action against anyone found to have married a minor or sold off a child for early marriage.
The announcement came barely a day after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji ordered the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to look into teen pregnancies and early marriages in Kilifi County and elsewhere in the country.
The DPP sought to assure the public that his office truly cared about children's matters in a speech read on his behalf by the Assistant DPP.
Close to 14,000 pregnancies were reported among schoolgirls aged 15-19 this year in Kilifi alone, with the county's education executive claiming that the actual figure was around 40,000.
Prof. Gabriel Katana explained that many teenage pregnancies went unreported and therefore the official figures were innacurate.
The county's Governor Amason Kingi called for the Sexual Offences act to be amended to allow for castration of men who defile children.
The DCI was directed to forward files to Haji's office after wrapping up investigations for subsequent action to be taken.
