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"content": "between 15 and 19 years. Shockingly about 2 billion of those births are by girls below 15 years old. Another shock is that 90 percent of all these births were by girls who are already married off at an early age; half of them, again, because of having fallen pregnant. Another shock is that 95 percent of these cases are found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would even rest my case at that because this, really, is a situation that I believe every parent and adult Kenyan can identify with. You either have a relative, a neighbour, a friend or you have met them on the streets – these babies with babies. We have to do something about it. In our own Kenyan situation, it is outrageous that in this modern world, Kenya still has one of the highest prevalence of pre-teen and teenage pregnancies in the world. According to the 2013 Kenya Population Situation Analysis Report, which I stumbled upon when I was researching on this, it is estimated that nearly 10,000 pre-teen and teenage girls die from complications of pregnancy and child birth. Can you imagine; 10,000 girls per year? That is something that is worse than Ebola, malaria and everything put together. We are losing 10,000 silent voices. These are statistics amongst statistics; we have to do something about them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also came across another publication by one Prof. Ben Jarabi, who is a renowned population studies and researcher from the University of Nairobi. He has a report titled “Motherhood in Childhood: Facing the Challenges of Adolescent Pregnancies of 2013.” In this report, Prof. Jarabi estimates that if the more than 200,000 pre-teen and teenage girls who become pregnant and mothers were to be gainfully employed, Kenya would save a whooping US$3.4 billion annually. Now, instead of saving or creating this wealth, we use that same amount in healthcare and related issues. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, talking about this is very difficult, because in my mind, I have a picture of people I can call by name. They are former schoolmates and very brilliant girls that we were with in primary and secondary schools, who fell pregnant and did not have the opportunity to go back to school. When I go back home and look at the kind of lifestyles they are leading, knowing very well that these were some of the best brains in my class, it brings tears to my eyes. For some strange reason, it happens that most girls who fall pregnant early are always the most brilliant in class. I really do not know how that happens. Those who really get top marks somehow are always the victims by the age of 14. When you ask about your childhood friend, you are told that she fell pregnant and is now somebody’s wife somewhere. It is a very sad scenario. We must find a way of breaking this vicious circle. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, even as you give contributions to this Motion, I want you to just remember and create in your mind’s eye that mental picture of four generations of women, languishing in poverty, all under the age of 35, because of one incident which might not have been their own making. It might have been a consequence of the unfriendly environment that they found themselves in. This is because when I interrogated that particular example that I have just shared with you, the lady told me: “What am I supposed to do, mheshimiwa ? I ended up with my teenage girls in the slums and my neighbours are all bachelors – five or ten in a room. The only separation between The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}