Rise in Teenage Pregnancies in Kenya Linked to COVID-19 Lockdown

In Kenya, the younger generation is experiencing an unintended and surprising side effect of the coronavirus lockdowns– a significant rise in teen pregnancies. Over a three month period of the lockdown, there was a 40% rise in the number of teen pregnancies in Kenya, with 152,000 pregnancies reported. There are a number of reasons why this figure has increased since Kenya went into lockdown, each of which contribute to the increase in Kenyan teen pregnancies.

One significant cause of the rise of teen pregnancy in Kenya is the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services during the pandemic. As the country focuses its healthcare system and medical resources on fighting the coronavirus and caring for the sick, reproductive health services can fall by the wayside. Additionally, historical evidence on epidemics shows that lockdowns and restrictions on movement make it difficult for girls to access the limited medical services that are available.

Teen girls who become pregnant during the lockdown face a lifetime of difficult consequences. Pregnancy and childbirth-related complications are the number one cause of death globally for 15 to 19-year-old girls, and in Kenya, adolescent girls made up 45% of severe abortion complication cases. This is especially dangerous given that pregnant mothers already face the threat of coronavirus and a medical system struggling to handle the pandemic. Girls living in poverty or in areas without easy access to medical facilities risk not receiving improper maternal and newborn health services, putting the health of both mother and baby at risk.

The consequences of teen pregnancy in Kenya continue after childbirth and often affect the trajectory of a young mother’s future. 98% of pregnant teenagers are not in school, and most never return after giving birth. After being forced to drop out of school, teenagers struggle to get higher-paying jobs and leave impoverished areas.

This thus perpetuates the cycle of poverty immensely. In addition, taking care of a child requires money, time, and resources that are hard to come by for poor teenagers. This further contributes to the poverty these girls live in because they often must raise their child without adequate funds, therefore forcing the family deeper into poverty.