Teenagers, Youths, Urged To Keep Off Perilous Sexual Engagements During Long Holidays

By Isabella Maua

Teenagers and youths are encouraged to respect and follow the guidance of their parents and elders throughout the long holidays.

During an intergenerational dialogue meeting held by Kenya Red Cross Bungoma in Kaptama (Mt. Elgon Sub-County) last week, parents and village elders cited disobedience among their children.

According to Wycliffe Bokose, the Assistant Chief of Chemoge, sexual relationships between teenagers and older people are becoming rampant in the village, especially since schools closed.

“Many girls are often defiant when they are found with older sexual partners because they are mostly lured into the relationships with money; having come from very humble backgrounds, it becomes difficult to resist,” said Bokose.

This, he says, has made them more enemies than friends in their areas of jurisdiction.

He reports, “We have followed up on many defilement cases, but more often than not, the parents of the survivors tend to side with the perpetrator through kangaroo courts; this has tarnished our names and created bad blood with villagers.”

With Mt. Elgon Sub- County leading in all forms of gender-based violence in Bungoma County, Janet Khisa, County Program Officer for gender-based violence, reported that the youngest mother in the region is 10 years old.

“It is very devastating that female genital mutilation has been fought in Mt. Elgon, but we still have other forms of GBV prevailing; physical, economical, emotional, and sexual violence are recorded almost daily in the region,” bemoaned Khisa.

Many teenagers and youths have overlooked the Triple Threat, assuming they can easily access abortion services and avoid early parenthood.

They are often oblivious of how perilous it is to engage in unprotected sex (mostly they do with multiple sexual partners).  

Dr. Jesse Wamocho, Sexual Reproductive Health Officer of Bungoma County, observes that in Mt. Elgon Sub-County there have been 5,000 recorded cases of teenage pregnancies, hence a higher percentage of new HIV infections.

“Some of you think that it is safer to engage in same-sex relationships, not knowing that many such cases have led to many hepatitis B infections, new HIV infections, fatal incidences, and permanent infertility among many young boys and girls,” Dr. Wamocho noted with concern. 

Shocking statistics indicate that 2 boys and 2 girls in Mt. Elgon are infected with HIV/AIDS every day.

Sosi Chemosit, Assistant Chair of the Sabaot Council of Elders, in his address to youths at Chemoge, challenged them to be hardworking in their studies and venture into new opportunities like agriculture so that they can be economically empowered and not coerced by money into immoral activities.

Jackline Chemtai, the Assistant Chief Chemweisus, discouraged drugs and substance abuse, which has led many students into uncouth behavior like defilement and rape, and many infected with HIV.

Girls were especially advised to abstain until they are of age so that they can understand their rights and negotiate for safe sex, as this would be the only way to ensure Triple Threat is eliminated.

Kenya Red Cross Bungoma held both youth engagement forums and intergenerational dialogues in Mt. Elgon at Kaptama, Chemweisus, and Chemoge.