Children in Homa Bay need more than warnings to stay safe from HIV, teenage pregnancy and sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), First Lady Rachel Ruto has said, urging parents, teachers, health workers and community leaders to take a more active role in protecting young people.
Speaking during a mentorship and advocacy engagement in Homa Bay on Wednesday, Rachel said children need safe spaces, practical support and trusted adults who can listen to them and guide them through challenges.
“Sometimes our children do not need another warning; they need someone to walk with them, and that person must be all of us,” she said.
The First Lady said HIV, adolescent pregnancy and GBV continue to threaten the safety, education and future of young people, particularly in Homa Bay, which she described as one of the counties facing a heavy burden of the three challenges.
She said the situation requires families and communities to move beyond discussing the problems and take action to protect children from harm.
“According to the National Syndemic Disease Control Council data, Homa Bay carries one of the highest HIV burdens in the country, with prevalence estimated at 11.6%. Adolescent pregnancy remains a serious challenge, and sexual and gender-based violence continues to threaten the safety and future of our children. Too many cases of abuse against our children still go unreported, unspoken, and unpunished,” she said.
The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) shows the wider scale of adolescent pregnancy, with 15 percent of women aged 15–19 having ever been pregnant and 12 percent having given birth.
Health records also show the number of young girls affected. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported that 260,442 adolescents aged 10–19 attended their first antenatal care visit in 2022 after becoming pregnant, including 15,043 girls aged 10–14.
Rachel said the figures should not be viewed simply as statistics, noting that every case represents a child whose education, health and future may be disrupted.
“We cannot keep asking what is wrong with our children. We must ask what are we as adults doing to protect them? Because a child who is vulnerable to exploitation does not need our judgment. They need protection,” she outlined.
She also pointed to the continued spread of GBV across the country. The 2022 KDHS found that 34 percent of women aged 15–49 had experienced physical violence since the age of 15, while 13 percent had experienced sexual violence.
The survey further found that 41 percent of women who had ever had a husband or intimate partner had experienced economic, psychological, physical or sexual violence from their current or most recent partner.
In Homa Bay, 54 percent of women reported having experienced physical violence since the age of 15, placing the county among those with a particularly high reported history of such violence.
Rachel said the response to the triple threat must involve parents, schools, health facilities, government agencies, faith leaders and the wider community.
She said the national campaign began in Meru and Narok before being expanded to Homa Bay, Samburu, West Pokot and Uasin Gishu.
“Within six months, more than 220 health facilities across the four counties had joined the initiative, and more than 200 healthcare providers had been trained to provide adolescent-friendly services. This is now a national priority because our ambition must be clear to end the triple threat by 2027.”
The First Lady called on young people to stay in school, protect their ambitions and seek help whenever they face problems.
“To our young people, stay in school, protect your dreams, and when something is wrong, speak. Speak to a parent, a teacher, a health worker, someone you trust,” she said.
She also urged parents and guardians to create homes where children can freely ask questions and discuss difficult issues without fear of being judged.
Rachel said communities must strengthen child protection systems and expand youth-friendly services while ensuring children remain in school.
“A teacher who notices, a parent who listens, a health worker who welcomes a teenager without judgment, a chief who refuses to look away, a community that chooses to protect a child rather than protect a perpetrator, and a young person who checks on a friend—that is how change happens,” she maintained.
She urged stakeholders to work together so that children facing difficult circumstances are not left to deal with them alone.