Nakuru County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara has raised concern over rising cases of defilement and early pregnancy among girls in Kuresoi North and Kuresoi South.
Speaking in Keringet, Mr Kibaara regretted that older men are taking advantage of the innocent girls.
“We are concerned by the growing number of teenage pregnancies in the two constituencies. It is a shame that our girls are being taken advantage of by older men,” he said.
The County Commissioner said that the trend poses a serious threat on the moral fabric of the society and called collective responsibility to end the vice.
“The men who should be fighting this vice are the ones at the centre of it. What happened to our morals? From whom shall the young boys learn?” He posed.
Kibaara said that early pregnancy comprises the future of the girls who are forced to drop out of school to take care of the babies.
“We have to work together in ensuring the girls remain in school. If we are to raise literacy levels, we must allow an equal chance for either gender to get an education,” he said.
The administrator noted that despite the high cases of defilement being reported with several arrests made, ensuring justice for the girls has been a challenge.
Kibaara regretted that out-of-court settlements had led to the collapse of many cases.
“We have been seeing witnesses vanishing, failing or declining to testify. After follow-up, we find out that they were prevailed upon by people close to the suspects,” he said.
He said kangaroo courts were a threat to the quest for justice for the teenagers and warned chiefs and elders against mediating such cases.
“Cases involving minors being defiled or impregnated should never be settled out of court. We shall now be going after those involved in mediation including chiefs,” he said.
Area MP Joseph Tonui said that the vice goes against the culture of the local communities and has brought shame to the society.
“We have different communities living here but none of them cordons such behaviour. It is through such acts that we end up having our girls killed over illicit relationships,” said Tonui.
The MP called for urgent meeting bringing together elders and administrators to forge a way forward in the fight against defilement and teenage pregnancy.
“We are talking about things happening under our watch. Not any further. We must agree that this is a threat that must be cut to size before we lose a generation to immoral behavior,” said Tonui.
