Police and local administrators in Webuye, Bungoma County, have launched investigations after 36 girls from a local school became pregnant, with authorities seeking to establish how the cases occurred and identify those responsible.
The school principal said 13 of the girls had already delivered, while another 13 were still pregnant. The remaining 10 girls reportedly dropped out of school after becoming pregnant.
Webuye East Assistant County Commissioner Emmanuel Kenga said investigators would pursue each case and take action against anyone found culpable.
“We will follow up those cases one after the other, including those reported in the past,” Kenga said, as quoted by Kenya News Agency.
The authorities were also concerned that only one of the 36 cases had reportedly been brought to the attention of police by a parent.
A Gender and Child Protection Desk officer urged parents to report the cases, assuring them that they would receive assistance without being charged.
“We have found only one parent and we are going to check why they were not accorded help. For all the 36 cases, we want all the parents to come to the station because we are going to look for you,” she said.
The officer said affected families could access support through civil society organisations working with authorities.
“We have civil societies that are supporting us. You will be provided with transport and you will not pay anything at the hospital. And while at the hospital, you will also be given lunch,” she added.
Why is the school seeking a dormitory?
The school has appealed for assistance to construct a dormitory, with the principal arguing that students’ daily commute between school and their homes could be exposing them to various risks.
“Their movement from school back home every day is actually a contributing factor to this mess,” the principal said.
Kenga also linked the situation to activities surrounding the ongoing circumcision season in parts of western Kenya, warning communities against brewing and consuming traditional liquor during ceremonies.
He said authorities would take measures to prevent the brewing of traditional liquor in homes during the season, which is expected to continue until December.
“Some of our cultures have been overtaken by civilisation. You don’t have to be drunk for you to circumcise your child,” Kenga said.
“People should be sober. We cannot have a drunkard population and expect our children to be safe in the same society,” he added.
How widespread are teenage pregnancies in Kenya?
The incident has renewed attention on the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly in areas recording high levels of teenage pregnancies.
The 2026 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) showed that 235,938 adolescents aged between 10 and 19 reported for their first antenatal care visit in 2025.
Although this was a decline from 241,228 recorded in 2024, pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 increased from 10,126 to 11,605.
Adolescents aged 15 to 19 accounted for 224,333 of the 2025 cases. The KNBS noted that the figures only capture adolescents presenting for their first antenatal visit and may therefore not represent every pregnancy.
Nairobi recorded the highest number of adolescent pregnancies, followed by Kakamega, Narok and Bungoma. Bungoma reported 10,443 cases in 2025.
In February, the Social Health Authority said its Teen Mothers Programme had registered 48,273 teenage mothers across 44 counties between October 2024 and December 2025.
