Police Officer Nabbed in Lodging With KCSE Candidate

An incident involving an AP officer who was arrested after being found in a lodging with a KCSE candidate in Kilgoris has caused public uproar.

The officer was found at a lodging where he planned to spend the night with the schoolgirl who is sitting for her exams in Narok County.

This comes at a time the country and the Ministry of Education is in shock over the high number of teenage pregnancies reported during the national exams.

The officer, Patrick Mwendo, is reported to have booked a room at a local bar where he planned to spend the night with the Sankale Secondary School student.

Trans Mara Deputy County Commissioner Mohammed Noor Hassan confirmed the incident saying the two were nabbed a short while after they had checked in at the bar.

Noor also held that the owners of the drinking joint shall lose their operating license for having allowed a minor at the premises.

The rampant cases ignited a debate at the Senate with Narok Senator Lekina Ole Dama saying proper legislation ought to be introduced to tame the worrying trend.

Ledama also appealed to the Senate to consider a possibility of creating a mentorship fund for schools to support guidance and counselling in schools.

The senators decried the sharp rise in the number of teenage pregnancies that only became a concern after candidates went into labour shortly before and after exams.

"We do not have examples in jail. We need proper legislation to protect these young girls. When a ten-year-old gets pregnant, there can never be any explanation. It is madness," submitted Embu Senator Njeru Ndwiga.

Makueni lawmaker Mutula Kilonzo Jnr blamed the menace on families and parents which resolve cases of teenage pregnancies at home by simply exchanging money.

"We are talking about statistics of those that get pregnant and not those having sex. It means there are more. Let's send these people to jail," stated Senator Mutula.

Vihiga Senator George Khaniri brought the matter to the attention of the house in his statement on Wednesday afternoon.