The National Council for Children’s Services (NCCS) has raised alarm over the rising cases of sexual abuse of underage girls in Juja, Kiambu county.
The chairperson of the council Joyce Ngugi said the organisation was concerned about the high number of young girls dropping out of school due to early pregnancies.
"The number of young girls dropping out of both primary and secondary schools due to early pregnancies around this area is very worrying. All stakeholders in children protection need to wake up and smell the coffee before the matters here get out of hand," said Ngugi.
Due to many young girls dropping out of school, a centre to cater for their needs has been established. The centre known as Young Mums Empowerment Foundation, which currently has 56 girls, was initiated by Susan Munyua who was moved by a story of a 14-year-old girl at Thirika Primary School, Juja, who got pregnant after being raped by an old man.
The mother to the young girl said the suspect went into hiding after the girl revealed her identity. She said she discovered that her daughter was pregnant after 5 months.The young girl is now a mother.
The NCCS chairperson asked the police to join hands with the gender groups and religious organisations to ensure that the welfare of the children has been safeguarded.