How public meeting revealed Njoro residents' disregard for teen pregnancies

At a recent empowerment program event in Njoro, Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) attempted to warn men against preying on schoolgirls.

Despite his method of delivery, the audience erupted in laughter an unsettling reaction that revealed how deeply normalized the violation of underage girls has become.

Health records seen by Mtaa Wangu show Mau Narok Ward leads in teenage pregnancies with 299 cases, followed by Njoro Ward at 154 and Mauche at 127.

Countywide, a senior government official confirmed that the total number of girls stands at over 4,000, with Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South still recording higher cases than Njoro.

But as the DCC spoke, the disturbing reaction exposes how lightly the community continues to treat an issue that is in fact widespread defilement of children.

The casual dismissal of such grim statistics, mirrors the political leadership’s own tendency to reduce the crisis to sympathetic statements and civic education which have born no fruit.

Njoro MP Charity Kathambi has consistently pushed for teenage mothers to be allowed back to school, a position she defends as critical for the girls’ future.

While commendable, it remains the bare minimum effort in a county where the violations should not be happening in the first place.

On a phone text, Kathambi says the recent campaign by women MPs and women reps who visited the sub-county under the guise of an empowerment program and highlighting on the same topic is one of the ways she’s is ensuring the numbers come down in addition to partnerships by related NGO’s.

And while various leaders and institutions make repeated calls of sympathy and shaming the perpetrators who live amongst them, little evidence of action is visible on the ground.

For Njoro, which is among the few female-led constituencies is among the worst hit, with residents expecting firmer measures and targeted interventions.

Instead, the more than 650 cases remain numbers in reports, masking the reality of hundreds of underage girls whose lives have been permanently altered.