Court-ordered confinement: The girls locked away to protect them from their own families
A teen mother pictured at Mathare Children's Fund Panairobi in Nairobi on November 16, 2023. Teen girls in Homa Bay County, which leads Kenya in teenage pregnancies, are being rescued from forced marriages and sexual violence and housed at a safe house.
What you need to know:
- Teenage girls in Homa Bay County are being rescued from forced marriages and sexual violence and housed at a safe house.
- One teen mother dreams of becoming a nurse but instead found herself married twice, most recently to a 71-year-old man, before being rescued with her newborn baby.
Her slender fingers trace small circles on her new-born’s back as she stares at the ceiling, lost in thought. Seventeen-year-old Lilian* cradles her week-old baby, her mind wrestling with dreams of a nursing career that now seem impossibly distant. The white walls of Makongeni Safe Space enclose her present reality—a stark contrast to the future she once imagined for herself.
"I have a dream of being a nurse. Going to marriage at this age was not part of my plans in life," she whispers, her voice barely rising above her baby's gentle breaths.
Just weeks earlier, Lilian had been the wife of a 71-year-old man—a union that constituted her second marriage despite her tender age. The elderly man now sits in police custody awaiting judgment, while Lilian grapples with motherhood in a rescue facility.
Her journey through forced marriage began earlier when she lived with a younger man as husband and wife. Unwilling to surrender her youth and dreams so soon, she fled that first marriage and returned to her parents' home seeking refuge. Instead of protection, they orchestrated her second marriage—this time to a man 54 years her senior—in a village within Homa Bay County where she soon conceived and dropped out of school.
Salvation came in the form of a child rescue volunteer who, upon hearing of her plight, removed her from the elderly man's home and brought her to Makongeni Safe Space in Homa Bay town. Police subsequently arrested her elderly husband. Adding complexity to her situation, Lilian manages epilepsy—a condition that might explain her parents' eagerness to exchange her for bride price. "I take drugs to keep me stable," she explains, her eyes never leaving the ceiling.
At the safe space, Lilian's movements are restricted to her room and the nearby toilet. A court order prohibits visitors—a protective measure implemented after previous incidents where teenagers escaped the facility, wandering through town rather than seeking help where they had found shelter.
The facility maintains strict protocols to prevent sexual violence perpetrators from influencing survivors and potentially weakening court cases. Supported by the Gender Violence Recovery Centre through UN Women funding, Makongeni Safe Space confines those rescued from sexual violence to their rooms until they're deemed ready to reintegrate into society.
In the adjacent bed lies Shally*, a 15-year-old with autism who lost her mother. According to the facility's management, she was defiled by a man who lured her with sweets. Her father's alcoholism left her without proper care and vulnerable to predators. Though a court ordered her to remain at the centre for three years, management considers this timeline too lengthy and unsustainable.
Read more: Homa Bay County steps up anti-GBV campaigns
This facility represents one of the few havens where endangered girls and women can find protection in Homa Bay County.
Rose Oyomo, the gender officer managing the facility, reports receiving cases of children who have been defiled, impregnated, forced into early marriage, or abandoned by their families.
These adolescents embody the unwavering commitment some individuals have toward addressing these vices.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, Homa Bay leads the nation in teenage pregnancies at 23 per cent among those aged 15-19. The same data reveals that 54 per cent of women aged 15-49 in the county have experienced physical violence since turning 15, with more than 40 per cent of married women having faced violence in the year preceding the survey.
The data further shows that 27 per cent of women in this age group reported experiencing physical violence "sometimes or often" in the previous 12 months, while 23 per cent had endured sexual violence. Most survivors are married women who have suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from intimate partners.
Rose explains that survivors receive comprehensive support at the facility: "We ensure survivors get referral and linkages to medical attention as well as legal services. We also ensure they get psychological care." The centre provides counselling and life skills training to help survivors process their trauma and rebuild their lives.
After recovery, they follow up with each case to ensure successful community reintegration. During International Women's Day celebrations last month, various speakers advocated for ending teenage marriages, defilement, and other forms of sexual violence against women and girls.
Ida Odinga expressed her distress about seeing teenagers with children: "At first, you would think the girls are carrying their brother or sister. But upon enquiries, you will be told that it is either their son or daughter. What is worse is that the people who defile the girls are older people. This is shameful."
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga acknowledged the troubling frequency of teenagers in maternity wards.
"We must deal with this menace once and for all. We will continue with our programs such as Sigand Nyinam and mentorships to ensure we save girls from the hands of sex pests."
Former Gender Chief Administrative Secretary Linah Jebii Kilimo pledged to continue fighting female genital mutilation and other practices harmful to women and girls.
"We believe the committee that was formed to collect views from Kenyans on ways of ending GBV will come up with solutions to the problems women face."
County Health Chief Officer Everlyne Ododa notes that Homa Bay struggles with a "triple threat"—defilement, teenage pregnancies, and HIV infection—among its youth. Working with various organisations, the county government has implemented several interventions, including establishing a gender sector working group and offering school mentorship programs.
"We equally offer mentorship to both boys and girls in schools. This is meant to encourage them to grow up to become responsible citizens," Everlyne explains.
The county is currently developing a sexual reproductive health initiative to strengthen existing anti-sexual violence measures. However, significant challenges remain, with the Judiciary often identified as a weak link in addressing these issues.
"Delayed justice from courts makes some survivors give up when their cases are being handled," Everlyne notes. Human resource limitations pose additional obstacles in some areas, though the county is partnering with various organizations to address these challenges.
"Kangaroo courts" represent another serious problem, where cases are settled privately through compensation rather than through proper legal channels. This occurs when perpetrators influence survivors and both parties agree to resolve matters outside the court system—typically through payments in the form of livestock or cash to the survivor's family.
The withdrawal of USAid funding has also impacted the county's ability to manage sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases, resulting in program cuts and facility closures. Several organisations that supported SGBV programs withdrew after donor funding was reduced.
Collins Ondeng, director of policy and planning at the Department of Health, says the county is working quickly to fill gaps left by USAid's withdrawal, including hiring new staff to assume responsibilities affected by the funding freeze.
"Other organisations have begun stepping in and taking up new roles that were previously supported by other groups, which withdrew their services," Collins reports.
For sustainability, Homa Bay has incorporated SGBV prevention into its budget planning. Collins indicates that the county's health budget will increase in the next fiscal year to cover areas previously supported by USAid-funded NGOs.
The management of the Homa Bay safe house has requested assistance to create a playground for teenagers confined to the facility. Everlyne notes that restricted movement can cause Vitamin D deficiency, which sunlight exposure would normally provide.
"We would also like to have armed police officers manning the facility as we deal with court orders that must be obeyed. This will ensure we do away with people who may try to interfere with evidence by coercing witnesses," she adds.
Gender Chief Officer Jack Obonyo emphasises the need for books at the centre, concerned that extended stays could impact survivors' education. "Those staying at the centre for multiple weeks should have books they can read to keep them abreast of education," he says.
Back in her room, Lilian shifts slightly to settle her dozing infant. Though confined to these walls for now, the facility offers what her family couldn't: protection, care, and perhaps a path back to her nursing dreams.
*Names of the survivors have been changed to protect identities.