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“I welcomed two more grandchildren from my last-born twins aged 12, who were impregnated this September, while in Standard Six. More so, their elder sister, who is now in Form One, also has a baby,” Ms. Kemboi said in her Tebeson home in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County.

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Parents in Uasin Gishu have recently expressed concerns at what they say is a worrying rise in the number of teenage pregnancies among young girls under the age of 15.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, teenage pregnancies increased by half. Many homes have teenage mothers, some as young as 12. What’s more alarming is that this trend is gaining momentum yet no action is being taken by authorities,” notes Ms. Lilian Kosgei, a community health volunteer in Uasin Gishu.

For sometime now ,Uasin Gishu County has been grappling with the rising cases of underage mothers.  According to Statistics and evidence from health facilities, four in every 10 pregnancies in Uasin Gishu involves teenagers. No wonder the county’s teenage pregnancy rate stands at 22 per cent, higher than the national average of 18 per cent. Further reports indicate that between January and the beginning of September this year( 2021) the county documented 3,672 cases of pregnancies among girls aged between 10 and 19 years.

“Parents and concerned authorities in this village cite the causes of this as being high levels of poverty, lack of sex education and gender inequality.” Reports BBC’s Reality Check.

Ms. Kemboi says that her daily routine after her teenage twin daughters gave birth three days apart earlier this month, Is to take care of her grand children. For the mother of eight, Ms. Kemboi says that three of her daughters were impregnated within four years.

For this family in Tebeson village, this issue has given them sleepless nights. According to reports, the family is now crying for justice after their twin daughters, were defiled and left pregnant. According to this family, what is more hurting is that Since the incident occurred, authorities have not taken any action against the perpetrators.

“I went to the suspect’s home protesting about the heinous act. The parents told me they would rein on their son. But the act continued even after several visits to the family,” said Philomena Kemboi, the twin’s mother. The distressed mother said security agencies were not helpful either, since even after reporting the matter to the local administration, no action was taken.

“My children were defiled when they were 12 years old, but despite the protest, no one heeded to my distress. Earlier on , when I noticed that my twin daughters had become pregnant, I informed the parents of the suspects, and they chased me away,” she said.

According to sources, the twins were lured and tricked by different men with the promise that they would marry them once they completed their studies.  However, after getting pregnant ,the girls have since abandoned their studies, and the responsible culprits are still strolling that village, free and unconcerned. According to Soy Deputy County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabazo, parents failed to report the incidents on time to the authorities. That is why such serious cases ended up unattended.

 “We have taken action and already the OCS is in the area and all those culprits will be brought to book,” said the administrator. However, Villagers say the area is awash with teenage pregnancies and are appealing to the government to intervene.

“There are about 30 girls, barely 15 years old who are pregnant. Last month when the Form Ones where joining school, in this village alone, 10 of them left children at home,” said Irene Jeptoo, a resident.

A teacher at St John Soin Primary School says that the school has recorded at least seven pregnancies this year; two in Class Eight, four in Class Seven and one in Class Six.

According to Evelyn Rotich; a health executive, the situation has forced already struggling families to be further pressed. As the breadwinner, Ms Kemboi hawked vegetables before, but she cannot do that anymore as she is now devoting her time to raising her grandchildren.

Dr Rotich says that settling of sexual cases through Kangaroo courts, has also encouraged pedophiles to thrive in this villages. She however calls on authorities to enforce child protection laws.