Police in Bungoma have launched a manhunt for suspects linked to 36 teenage pregnancies at Bakisa Secondary School in Webuye.

The school administration said 10 learners are currently pregnant, 13 have already delivered and 13 others dropped out after becoming pregnant with all the cases reported between January and September this year.

Principal Ruth Mulika said the cases had disrupted learning and the wellbeing of the affected girls, raising serious concerns about the safety of school-going girls in the area.

Mulika said being a day school had exposed the girls to predators while walking to and from school.

She appealed to leaders and other stakeholders to fund the construction of a dormitory to keep the girls within the school compound and enable them to complete their education without disruption.

 “To do away with this, we need to have our girls in boarding. I am appealing to leaders from this area to help us fund this project so that our girls can learn without disruption,” she said.

 The principal said the school also lacks a perimeter wall, making it easy for learners to sneak in and out of the compound undetected.

 Webuye East Assistant County Commissioner Emmanuel Kenge said security agencies have been mobilised to investigate the cases and pursue those responsible.

 Kenge said investigations will extend beyond the 36 cases at Bakisa to other teenage pregnancy cases reported in the area.

“I have a list of the cases and we will deal with those responsible. These girls did not impregnate themselves and you will find that those involved are adults who are expected to nurture and protect our girls,” he said.

 Webuye-based activist Sally Wambilianga termed the situation worrying and called for a concerted community effort to protect girls from sexual exploitation.

Wambilianga cautioned parents against resolving the cases through informal negotiations or kangaroo courts, and urged them to let the law take its course.

“We want to see arrests because over 30 teen pregnancies in one area is sickening. The perpetrators must be put behind bars to serve as a lesson to others,” she said.

 She urged parents to closely monitor their teenage children and remain vigilant against sexual predators.

Maurice Wafula, a parent at the school, called for speedy investigations to establish those behind the pregnancies.

“Thirty-six cases in one school is not a mistake; it is a pattern. These are predators and we want security agencies to expedite investigations and make arrests. Let us not punish the girls but embrace them and bring them back to school to complete their education,” he said.

by Chris Mahandara