A boda boda rider with a female passenger. [Photo/mpasho]
Just as the fight for the boy child seemed to be picking momentum, another front opens, and with the girl smack in the middle. And it is as worrying as it is scary –the fresh girl plight, that is.
According to a UN report, 378,397 girls below the age of 19 got pregnant between July 2016 and June this year. That’s the worrisome bit. The scary part is that most of these pregnancies are attributed to boda-boda rides.
Infamous for rogue road manners, mob-style protection of their own, thuggish characters and entire hospital wards (Beijings) in most hospitals dedicated to putting back together broken bones, it appears the motorcyclists are nowadays riding more than their bikes.
We are two distinct genders, not superior or inferior, just different. That’s how it is and it won’t be changed by erasing signs on toilet doors. That’s why the ‘boy child’ riding the boda-boda has three realistic destinations the intended, a Beijing or the grave.
The girl-child riding at the back, unfortunately, has a fourth possible destination the maternity ward. And that’s because only her can get pregnant. The most affected counties according to the report are Narok (40 percent), Homa Bay (33 percent), West Pokot (29 percent), Tana River (28 percent), Nyamira (28 percent), Samburu (26 percent), Migori (24 percent) and Kwale (24 percent).
This data is terrifying because besides the health risks of early pregnancies, these minors drop out of school and there is no denying education is a critical key to prosperity. In fact, it is the beginning of a generation that may find getting through life a huge struggle.