A social and Children Officer at Kiandutu slums in Thika has raised an alarm over rising cases of young people mostly schoolgirls engaging in promiscuous behaviour and allegedly procuring abortions.
Patricia Kinyua, a social and Children officer said that cases of abortion are rife at Kiandutu and the neighbouring areas.
Speaking on Wednesday at Kiandutu, the social and Children officer called for urgent measures to address the problem.
She stated that young girls as young as 12 years are getting pregnant and procuring abortions.
“It is alarming especially in slums and as stakeholders we must come together to find solutions to the issue,” she said.
Kinyua blamed high poverty levels and peer pressure in slums as factors forcing young people and more so girls to engage in prostitution and abortions.
She urged the government to come with programmes that will empower young girls and boys in slums.
The social officer also noted that a high number of teenagers engaging in sex is not using contraceptives a situation that puts them at risk of contracting diseases and getting pregnant.
Meanwhile, the officer has urged women in slums to seek maternal health care from public clinics existing in the area.
She noted that some women still prefer traditional ways of maternal care which she said are still risky.
“It is important for pregnant women to visit clinics to guarantee their health and that of their unborn children,” she added.