BY TONY WAFULA
In bid to fight the rising gender based violence, new HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancies in the region, Bungoma County has developed a program dubbed ‘Play to end GBV’ that is involving schools going boys and girls.
The program is sponsored by the Kenya Red Cross Society, the Ministry of Education and Bungoma County government department of gender, culture and sports is running across schools.
Speaking at St. Mary’s Kibuk Girls High school in Mt Elgon during a friendly match between Kibuk and Moi Girls Kaptama on Tuesday, Ebby Wafula, Principal Kibuk Girls, applauded the Kenya Red cross for starting the program in Mt Elgon schools highlighting the region’s institutions as the most hit by the vices.
“We are optimistic that this ongoing program ‘Play to end GBV’ will play a pivotal role in ending or rather curbing the triple threat,” she noted.
Further, she emphasized that the program also gives learners an opportunity to understand the importance of living harmoniously and sensitizing them on when there is an emergency within the school and the tactics and tricks they use to evacuate.
“We have organized this friendly match with our sister school and we believe that it is going to help them know that they can use their talent to sensitize people on the triple threat,” she said.
She, however, admitted that her school has been greatly affected by gender based violence and teenage pregnancy.
Simon Nyanjemo, the County’s sports director affirmed that the main mission for organizing the friendly matches in schools is to campaign against the triple threat adding that the Kenya Red cross organized the event so that students and teachers can be sensitized on the dangers of the gender based violence and the forms of violence encountered based on gender basis.
“As a department we are very keen on people engaging in sports on only for professionalism but also for physical fitness, because when our ladies are empowered they become physically and mentally fit,” the director added.
Christine Owino, Bungoma County Projects Coordinator from the Ministry of Education, stated that the Play to end gender based violence is in line with the Ministry’s re-entry guidelines.
Owino further revealed that Kibuk girls have implemented the re- entry policy where teen mothers have been allowed back to school.
“We have many teenage mothers at Kibuk Girls who were taken back to school and they are doing very well,” Ms. Owino affirmed.
Douglas Bosire, Ag Director Regional Coordination- National Syndemic Diseases Control Council, reveals that according to the recent health research indicating that there are 50 new HIV infections daily noting those infections, 75 percent are occurring in adolescents and young people aged between 15- 34 years.
However, Bosire reported that the main aim why NSDCC has partnered with the Bungoma County Woman representative office, the office of Senator Catherine Mumma, county government of Bungoma and other stakeholders is to help address the rising number of teenage pregnancies, gender based violence and new HIV infection in Bungoma County.
“We have taken this time of third term to move around schools in Bungoma county to involve students and teenagers in sexual talks that will help us reduce or rather curb the spread of new HIV/AIDS among teens, this worrying trend is the one that has culminated to this forums which is against the third term Education calendar,” he said.
He reported that they got an okay from the Ministry of Education to continue with an HIV sensitization forum at the Kimilili schools.
The report further revealed that 690 teens between the ages of 10-19 years are impregnated daily in Kenya. In Bungoma, Bosire said that 32 girls were impregnated.
Bosire also stated that in 2023, Bungoma recorded 38 new HIV infections that occurred between adolescents aged between 10- 19 years with 1,099 young people going through gender based violence (GBV).
“Out of the 1,099 adolescents that went through gender based violence, 108 got pregnant,” he added.
