Bungoma steps up war on GBV, teen pregnancies

Authorities in Bungoma have intensified efforts to curb the rising cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and teenage pregnancies amid growing concern over the increasing number of young girls dropping out of school and families affected by domestic abuse.

The Ministry of Health reports that, in 2025, seven out of every 10 GBV cases involved intimate partners.

Between 2016 and July 2023, Bungoma recorded 9,089 cases of sexual and gender-based violence involving girls aged between 10 and 17, compared with 18,510 cases nationally.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting convened to operationalise the Ndengelwa Gender-Based Violence Centre, Janet Khisa, the Ministry of Health’s Gender Violence Prevention and Response Programme Officer, said that the county has taken full mandate in prevention services for the GBV survivors and response services within 72 hours.

The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) ranked Bungoma highest in cases of physical violence at 62 per cent and sexual violence at 30 per cent, prompting the county government to strengthen response services.

“To ensure that cases of gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies decline following the 2022 KDHS survey, we engaged in prevention services with the core objective of increasing community uptake of GBV information,” Khisa said.

Khisa noted that before the Bungoma GBV Centre was operationalised, survivors had been referred to centres in Kisii, Kisumu, Vihiga and Nairobi.

“As the Ministry of Health, we appreciate the collaboration and partnership that has enabled the operationalisation of the Ndengelwa GBV Centre, which will go a long way in supporting survivors,” she noted.

Not there yet

According to a Ministry of Health report published in 2018, Bungoma recorded 23,000 cases of pregnancy among girls aged between 10 and 15 years.

Milsane Kiplai, the county coordinator for adolescent sexual and reproductive health, GBV and early childhood development, said Bungoma recorded 10,400 teenage pregnancies in 2025, down from 23,000, attributing the decline to preventive measures put in place by stakeholders. “We are still not there yet. We appreciate the efforts made by our partners and departments. Moving forward, we want to see every girl in school and not in maternity wards,” Kiplai said.

Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka said GBV had, for a long time, caused pain, suffering and shame within the county, adding that it was not only a social problem but also a moral crisis.

“Gender based violence destroys families, steals dignity and traumatises victims. As leaders and stakeholders, we cannot remain silent in the face of such barbaric practices,” Lusaka said.

Lusaka said the county was concerned by the rising cases of GBV and teenage pregnancies, noting that the crisis had denied many girls access to education, dreams and a future.

“These sexual and gender-based violence cases have also given our county a bad reputation in recent years. We must therefore confront this problem openly and decisively. As we operationalise this GBV centre, we are making a collective decision that Bungoma will no longer be known for violence, abuse and despair, but for courage, dignity and compassion,” he said.

The governor added that the time for endless discussions was over, saying the county had now shifted from talk to action through the operationalisation of the GBV centre. “The centre will become a haven for survivors of gender-based violence, a place of protection, counselling, legal support and hope. No victim should suffer in silence or feel abandoned,” Lusaka said.

Bungoma County Special Programmes Director Caren Wanyonyi applauded the collaborative efforts by various stakeholders in ensuring that the GBV Centre becomes fully operational, saying the partnership would play a critical role in strengthening support services for survivors across the county.

“Once fully operational, the centre will provide survivors with essential services, including counselling, medical care, legal assistance and safe referral mechanisms aimed at ensuring justice and recovery for victims,” said Wanyonyi, who is herself a survivor of GBV.

Bungoma Woman Representative Catherine Wambilianga said education stakeholders must engage in dialogue and agree on the best ways to reduce the alarming cases of teenage pregnancies in the county. She emphasised that, just as she had consistently supported efforts to end GBV, her office would continue intensifying interventions to address emerging challenges.

The county is currently facing an alarming prevalence of gender-based violence, with reports indicating that more than 481 sexual offence cases are before the courts. Local leaders describe the crisis as part of a “triple threat” that also includes high rates of teenage pregnancy and HIV infections, often linked to economic hardship and retrogressive cultural practices.

According to the report by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) 2025, 253 sexual and gender-based violence cases are currently ongoing before the Bungoma courts.