A police officer in Ruai warmed the hearts of many after he opted to babysit for a teenage mother who was sitting for her KCPE exams.
The underage girl identified as Alice Milito was rescued from an early marriage became pregnant during the corona period when schools were closed.
She was forced to carry her child to the examination centre so as to write her exams. The officer said he was just doing what is right as he rocked the baby while the national exams were ongoing.
He helped Milito out after realizing how carrying the baby to class was inconveniencing the girl in the exam room.
Rise Of Teen Pregnancies
The school’s principal Tabitha K Mbaiya hailed the officer’s humane act saying he fell in love with the baby for the first time.
“She is a Maasai girl, we saved her from early marriage… when she went, she became pregnant,” said Mbaya.
“He has been picking the baby, he has been carrying the baby when the mother is sitting for her exams. And this is raising the esteem of this baby,” she added.
When Covid-19 hit Kenya schools were shut and learners were sent home to contain the spread of the virus but this was also the beginning of another pandemic in Kenya.
The country was faced with an increased number of teenage pregnancies. Data from the government's health information survey attributed the high pregnancy numbers to the COVID-19 lockdown.
School closures cut off girls from teachers who could sound the alarm in suspected cases of abuse and students were left idle and often unchaperoned by busy parents.
Some parents also married off their underage girls as the economic effects of Covid-19 hit the country.
Video Courtesy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU2zMkj3Zqs
