DPP Noordin Haji has ordered DCI to investigate cases of teenage pregnancies and early marriages that came to the fore during KCPE and KCSE exams.
He said the probe will start with Kilifi county, which reported the highest number, and be extended to other parts of the country.
The Director of Public Prosecutions asked the DCI to forward the files on the same to his office for appropriate action.
Haji said his office takes cases on children seriously adding that ODPP will work closely with the Judiciary and other agencies to expedite the cases.
He said this in a speech read on his behalf by Assistant DPP Lilian Ogwora during the launch of Children’s National Service Week at the Kilifi law court.
The event was organised by the Judiciary to clear backlog of children cases in courts countrywide.
The Kilifi Children’s Department said at least 13,624 cases of teenage pregnancies were reported in the county this year. The report showed that the girls of ages 15 and 19 were expecting babies while some, from as young as 14 years, had already given birth.
A 2016 Plan International report cited cultural practices, poor parenting coupled with broken marriages, poverty, and inadequate sex and family planning education as the root causes of teenage pregnancies in Kilifi.
A report by the Centre for Adolescent Study says that Siaya and Busia counties recorded high number of pregnancies at 17 per cent. The national average is 18 per cent.
The survey also showed that many teenagers engage in unsafe sex, which is to blame for the increase of HIV-Aids infections in the region.