Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on Thursday issued a warning to parents with pregnant teenagers.
The PS stated that parents who do not report of the pregnancies to the police are subject to arrest.
““We shall go to those villages where people make local arrangements.
“We shall arrest anybody, including the parents, who engage in these backroom deals while they compromise the future of their children,” stated Kipsang.
Kipsang revealed that the pregnancies are defilement cases as stipulated by the law.
He further stated that the parents of the candidates who recently gave birth are at risk of being arrested.
“One of the issues that came out very strongly is teenage pregnancies.
“These girls are underage, so we cannot talk of consent. It is actually defilement.
“This is a question of assault, which makes it a security threat,” remarked the Education PS.
According to the Sexual Offences Act of 2017 section 16(2), A person who engages in a sexual act with a child who is under the age of 15 years shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life or a lesser term of imprisonment.
Section 17(3) (1a) states that, A person who engages in a sexual act with a child who is under the age of 17 years shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictmen and face imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years.
Reports confirmed 10 girls had given birth during the three-day Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams period.
Education CS Amina Mohamed had since ordered investigations into the teenage pregnancies.
“We are concerned that a high number of candidates became mothers during the three days of KCPE. If this is happening all year round, then the country could be facing a crisis,” stated Amina.