NAIROBI, Kenya – According to the 2026 Economic Survey, pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 continued to rise in 2025, with Kajiado County recording the highest number of cases nationally.
The report shows Kajiado registered 936 pregnancies in this age group, followed by Garissa County with 725 cases, Homa Bay County with 648, Narok County with 601, and Turkana County with 600.
Other counties in the top ten included Meru County (556), Mandera County (535), Nairobi City County (483), Kitui County (413), and West Pokot County (400).
The survey further indicates that adolescent pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 19 rose by 2.2 percent to 235,900 cases in 2025, with the younger cohort (10 to 14 years) recording a sharper increase of 14.6 percent.
“Overall, pregnancy cases increased by 2.2 per cent to 235.9 thousand in 2025, with pregnancies among adolescents aged 10–14 rising by 14.6 per cent,” the Economic Survey 2026 states.
The findings have renewed concern over child pregnancies in Kenya, particularly among the 10–14 age group, which are often associated with sexual violence, early marriage, poverty, and limited access to reproductive health education.
While Nairobi ranked eighth in the 10–14 category, it recorded the highest overall number of adolescent pregnancies aged 10 to 19 at 14,291 cases.
The report also shows a sharp increase in the capital, where cases in the 10–14 bracket more than doubled from 234 in 2024 to 483 in 2025, signalling a growing urban child protection challenge.
Similarly, Kakamega County, which ranked second overall in adolescent pregnancies, recorded 205 cases among girls aged 10 to 14 and 11,630 among those aged 15 to 19.
Narok County, ranked third overall, posted 601 cases in the younger group and 10,333 among girls aged 15 to 19.
“The rise among children aged 10 to 14 remains particularly alarming due to the health, legal and social implications involved,” the report states.
Health experts have warned that teenage and child pregnancies contribute to school dropouts, poor maternal health outcomes, and entrenched cycles of poverty, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Counties including Bungoma, Migori, Homa Bay, and Kajiado were also flagged for persistently high adolescent pregnancy rates, underscoring regional disparities in healthcare access and child protection systems.
The report further calls for stronger enforcement of child protection laws, particularly against defilement and exploitation, noting that rising pregnancies among very young girls point to deeper gaps in safeguarding mechanisms.
