Pregnant Form Three student found dead in Narok lodging

Pregnant Form Three student found dead in Narok lodging

A Form Three student has been found dead at a lodging in Narok County.

Confirming the incident, area chief Titus Tonui identified the girl as a student from Kisiara Secondary School.

According to him, she was pregnant and is suspected to have tried to conduct an abortion.

A man believed to be the girl’s boyfriend and who lives in the same area that the body was found reportedly disappeared after the incident.

Police have moved the body to Kapkatet Hospital mortuary.

In November last year, the Narok County Government proposed a controversial move to have secondary school girls checked for signs of female genital mutilation and pregnancy.

Narok County Commissioner George Natembeya also issued a stern warning that men who impregnate school girls would be prosecuted and the victims taken to a rescue centre.

The county boss further noted that county officials would work with international police (Interpol) in the hunt for suspects who flee outside the country.

He then directed chiefs to relay information on pregnant school girls and FGM cases through relevant channels of command.

According to him, high cases of forced FGM on girls in Narok subsequently resulted in an increased number of teenage pregnancies.

“We have the highest rates of teen pregnancies in the country, and FGM is widespread in some communities in Narok, but it is difficult to detect these cases as it is all underground and secretive,” Natembeya told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He added: “The tests will help us to better support girls who often have to hide their pregnancies and health complications after undergoing FGM. We will also be able to prosecute men who defile them, and go after their parents who force them to undergo FGM.”

However, in January this year, rights groups condemned the move and told Reuters that examining the girls – aged between nine and 17 – was demeaning and contravened their right to privacy and dignity.

“The Board recognises and appreciates the role played by different stakeholders in complementing the government’s efforts in the FGM campaigns but we want to reiterate that all interventions must uphold the law,” Kenya’s Anti-FGM Board.

Additional reporting from Reuters

Tags:

abortion teen pregnancy Kisiara Secondary School Narok FGM Natembeya

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