Benard Orwongo, a Nairobi-based parent to an adolescent girl who recently completed Form Four, has made it a routine to talk to her about HIV, how it is transmitted and the risks associated with unprotected sex.
He fears that at her age, she can easily be lured into early sexual activity, exposing her to HIV infections and unwanted pregnancies.
His concerns follow new data by the National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC), which shows that four in every 10 new HIV infections are reported among adolescents and young people aged between 15 and 24.
The trend is particularly worrying this festive season, when thousands of secondary school and university students are at home for the Christmas holiday.
“It worries me to hear about children acquiring HIV because of premature sex triggered by peer pressure. I am therefore enlightening my girl about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases,” Orwongo says.
Last year, 19,991 people acquired HIV, with eight in 10 of these new infections occurring among adolescents and young women aged 10 to 24 years.
New infections increased by 19 per cent, from 16,752 cases in 2023. The biggest rise of 34 per cent was among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years.
Many of the affected girls are in secondary school or campus, where peer pressure contributes to early sexual debut, leading to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Kenya currently has 1,326,336 people living with HIV, reflecting a national prevalence of 3 per cent.
Orwongo says his concern is not only HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but also the rising cases of teenage pregnancies, which force girls to drop out of school.
“Sex and sexuality are the most difficult topics for a parent to discuss with their children. But if I do not, with the easy access to the Internet through smartphones, they will still learn about it on their own. So I talk to my girls about sex and the consequences of unprotected sex,” Orwongo says.
He believes many children are drawn into early sex by peers and their surrounding environment.
Opt for condoms
Data shows that, in 2024, 17,361 cases of sexual and gender-based violence were reported among adolescents aged between 10 and 17, accounting for 36 per cent of all reported cases.
Additionally, 16 per cent of all pregnancies (240,915 cases) occurred among adolescents aged between 10 and 19, while 9,857 adolescents aged 10 to 14 attended antenatal clinics.
“Adolescent pregnancies indicate exposure to unprotected sex, which increases the risk of new HIV infections,” reads part of the NSDCC report.
According to the report, adolescent pregnancies disrupt schooling and significantly impact health and socio-economic development.
Brenda*, a third-year student at Pwani University, says she was influenced by friends to start dating.
“When I joined campus, I did not know much about sex and didn’t have a boyfriend. But all my girlfriends had boyfriends and talked about them, so I felt out of place. I eventually got one,” says Brenda.
However, she is reluctant to disclose whether she engages in unprotected sex but says they test for HIV regularly.
“At times, I opt for condoms when I suspect my boyfriend’s behaviour. I am keen on my sexuality because I fear contracting HIV,” she shares.
Aggrey, a third-year student at Rongo University, says he uses condoms consistently to protect himself from sexually transmitted diseases and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
“I want to leave campus the same way I came in: no HIV, no child. I want to live a healthy life and later marry a woman of my choice,” says the student.
NSDCC Chief Executive Officer Douglas Bosire says, despite collective progress, the triple threat of new HIV infections, unintended pregnancies, and sexual and gender-based violence among adolescents and young people remains a national crisis.
“These numbers are not just statistics. They represent lives, futures, and communities at risk,” he says.
Bosire notes that young people make up nearly 60 per cent of Kenya’s population, and securing their health and well-being is both a moral responsibility and an essential investment in the country’s future.
“A child aged between 10 and 19 should be in primary school, high school, or beginning university studies. Instead, we have to take them out of school to manage pregnancies,” he says.
Dropping out of school, he adds, creates a cycle of poverty. Many adolescents’ bodies are not fully developed to carry pregnancies to term, leading to trauma and lifelong health challenges.
To address the crisis, the NSDCC is implementing the Triple Threat Campaign, which focuses on adolescent pregnancies, gender-based violence, and HIV infections.
The campaign brings together chiefs, security officers, and Ministry of Education officials.
“Adolescents are engaging in a lot of unprotected sexual activities,” says Bosire, pointing to low knowledge levels since only 54 per cent of adolescents know how to protect themselves from HIV.
He faults parents and clergy for failing to instill values and provide guidance.
“How many clerics stand in the pulpit to talk to children about sexuality, HIV, or child pregnancies?” he poses.
Bosire notes that many young people do not understand the severity of HIV, as they were born during a period when testing and treatment had greatly improved.
The peak of Kenya’s HIV epidemic occurred between 1990 and 1995, and again in 1996 to 1997, when at least 200,000 lives were lost each year.
Most new infections today are among those born after 1995, now in their 30s who did not witness the devastating toll of AIDS.
Despite challenges, Kenya remains committed to ending AIDS by 2030 and eliminating gender-based violence by 2026, guided by the Triple Threat Commitment Plan (2023–2030).
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale is concerned at the heavy burden of adolescents and young people bearing new HIV infections.
Aligning with this year’s theme, ‘End AIDS in adolescents and young people,’ Duale emphasised that the need to protect the next generation is a shared responsibility.
Triple threat
In an earlier interview with The Standard, Elgeyo Markwet Governor Wesley Rotich reiterated importance of intensified elimination triple threat identified as child pregnancies, new HIV infections among children and sexual gender violence.
Rotich regretted that triple threat is rampant in the county and the country at large, with HIV becoming a major burden.
“Adolescent pregnancies are now being reported even in primary and secondary schools. These three issues are destroying our society,” said Rotich.
“We must act. There is no other way, we need open community dialogues and grassroots empowerment so that everyone understands HIV and other diseases and becomes a health ambassador in their village, schools, churches, and public barasas,” he added.
According to the governor, it is unacceptable for society to continue tolerating defilement of teen girls, normalising teenage pregnancies and HIV infections.
“Imagine a boda boda rider impregnating multiple girls in the same village, and no one raises the alarm? That cannot be allowed to continue,” noted Rotich.
Political leaders and local administration, he said, should not tolerate such behaviours, but ensure that action is taken in accordance with the law.
“We will no longer tolerate such behaviour. We must incite the community against moral decay. If you are a rapist, we will remove you from the community. As we take you to the police, you will be publicly shamed. If you make it to the police station alive, so be it. We will no longer treat these matters casually. We must protect our children, our women, and our communities,” warned the governor.
Rotich is worried at the moral decay destroying the country.
“It is appalling that someone would ignore all adult women and prey on girls aged 7, 8, 10, or 12. Such individuals are perverts and have no place in our society,” he said while rooting for a society where children are safe in their own homes and neighbourhoods.
Terms and conditions
Geoffrey Wango, a senior lecturer and counselling psychologist at the University of Nairobi, expresses concern over young people’s sexual behaviour, regretting that they are having a lot of sex, sneaking from home, and even engaging in sexual activity while in school.
Dr Wango attributes much of this reckless behaviour to the widespread use of the Internet, which provides a lot of information.
He, however, observes that this information does not necessarily translate into proper education.
A significant portion of adolescents and young people, he adds, are exploring social media platforms like TikTok and other sites with misleading and inappropriate content on sex, which they imitate.
“Young people think they are informed because they know about sex, but sex comes with terms and conditions that apply. They may know a lot about sex, but they are not educated about it,” says Wango.
Shockingly, as adolescents adopt reckless sexual behavior, the don points out that parents are often too busy to monitor what their children are doing. Parents, he insists, should restrict their children’s use of smartphones or implement regulated programmes to prevent access to pornography and substance abuse.