NAIROBI, KENYA – 4 May 2026. Following the release of the Kenya Economic Survey 2026 by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on April 29, Tiko makes an urgent call to scale the national response to the soaring rates of adolescent pregnancies.

The survey reports a deeply concerning rise in teenage pregnancies, framing the issue as a significant national development challenge. With over 232,000 girls becoming pregnant in a single year (232,102 girls recorded as pregnant in 2025 alone; up from 224,333 in 2024), the “triple threat” of new HIV infections, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and unintended pregnancies continues to jeopardise the health, education, and future of Kenya’s young women. Critically, this increase occurred even as Kenya expanded access to modern contraceptives and invested in community health programmes; underscoring that supply-side interventions alone are not enough. The latest data reveals that the maternal healthcare system recorded 11,605 pregnancies among girls aged 10–14, up from 11,126 the previous year. This statistic points to a severe and worsening protection crisis.  

The highest caseloads are concentrated in Nairobi (14,291), Kakamega (11,835), Narok (10,934), and Bungoma (10,444); but the crisis is not contained to these hotspots. Counties including Migori, Kajiado, Meru, Homa Bay, and West Pokot each recorded between 7,600 and 8,700 cases, confirming that adolescent pregnancy is a national emergency spanning urban, peri-urban, and rural Kenya.

Serah Malaba, Tiko Co-CEO, responded to the report by demanding urgent action for girls,

“We must stop hiding behind statistics and start calling this crisis what it truly is. When 11,000 girls under the age of 14 are entering maternal wards, we are looking at failure of justice and child protection. This is rape. It is a violation of the fundamental right to a childhood. We need to move beyond ‘awareness’ and toward an aggressive, uncompromising legal response that hunts down and prosecutes perpetrators and provides our girls with the rapid, integrated protection they deserve. 

“Adolescent girls are not just numbers in an economic survey, they are Kenya’s greatest untapped dividend. But no girl can claim her future, stay in school, or build economic independence while she is unsafe, traumatised, or forced into motherhood or marriage before she has lived her childhood. When we fail to protect girls, we don’t just fail them, we forfeit the compounding returns their potential offers all of us. We must do better. We must act.”

Tiko supports girls experiencing sexual violence across Kenya. In many regions where Tiko operates, survivor-centred services are often fragmented or non-existent, leaving vulnerable girls without essential care, including protection. 

Dr Celestine Mugambi, Tiko Kenya Country Director said,

“The 2026 Economic Survey is a wake-up call that the ‘Triple Threat’ is not reducing, it is evolving. True national development means ensuring that no girl has to sacrifice her education and health; yet 232,000 still do each year. These girls deserve more than a pathway that begins with motherhood. We remain committed to working with and supporting  the government to ensure it begins with protection, justice, and integrated, timely care.”

Tiko’s Integrated Triple Threat care for sexual violence demonstrates why scaling the response is urgent and must prioritise:

• Prevention: Working with Community-Based Organisations, peer mobilisers and community health promoters to increase awareness about SGBV including risks, mitigation strategies, and available support services among adolescent girls and young women, their communities; as well as effect dialogues to confront harmful cultural norms
• Integrated Service Access: Providing immediate, trauma-informed healthcare and social services for adolescent survivors.
• Urban-Specific Interventions: Targeted social protection programmes for informal settlements in high-burden counties — in informal settlements, peri-urban zones, and underserved rural areas alike.
• A Swifter Legal Response: Reclassifying these incidents as criminal acts of rape and ensuring aggressive prosecution of offenders.
• Protection: Unifying survivor-centered services into a cohesive ecosystem for healing and justice. This involves strengthening community support, removing financial barriers, and providing trauma-informed medical and legal assistance.

Tiko is working to bridge this gap of fragmented care and support for girls experiencing sexual violence by unifying the existing services into a cohesive ecosystem focused on healing,  justice and protection. The model strengthens community support by equipping Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and training Mobilisers and Community Health Promoters to provide psychological first aid and immediate  referrals.

By strengthening public health facilities to deliver trauma-informed care, including forensic evidence collection, Tiko supports a more comprehensive and rights-based response for survivors. This approach integrates mental health services – ensuring access to timely psychological assessment, counseling, and referral pathways – while reinforcing the capacity of health systems to meet both the clinical and psychosocial needs of survivors within a coordinated care framework.

Tiko, eliminates financial barriers through vouchers for transport and dignity kits, while leveraging data to track service quality and assist survivors in navigating the legal system for timely convictions and safe reintegration. 

Girls deserve better. We have moved beyond the era of gradual change; what is required now is bold, urgent action to secure the future of our girls.