26 girls drop out of school due to pregnancy in Narok

Twenty-six girls in Narok North and South have dropped out of school after falling pregnant.

The girls, aged between 12 and 17, are said to have been impregnated after undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) during the long December holidays.

Area Children’s Officer Julius Ngoko said yesterday that five girls were from Olelusie, six from Erusiai, five from Ilkaraampuri and 10 from Nkaretta primary schools. Most of them were in the upper classes, he said. 

He said FGM and early marriages had led increased the dropout rate and called for action against parents who violate children’s right to education.

Ngoko blamed parents and the community for failing to counsel their children, leading to early pregnancies.

“It could not have happened had they kept a close eye on them during the long holidays. Why did they allow them to undergo circumcision in the first place?”he wondered.