Trans Nzoia County has launched a sweeping emergency response following a disturbing 17% rise in early pregnancies among school‑going girls — a trend officials say is fueling a spike in school dropouts and worsening academic outcomes.\r\n\r\nThe County Department of Education has linked the surge to a combination of poverty, lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, and repeated expulsion of students due to unpaid school fees.\r\n\r\nIn response, the county is rolling out a multi‑pronged intervention plan aimed at keeping students in school and tackling the root causes of early pregnancies.\r\n\r\n“We are seeing a direct link between poverty and early pregnancies,” said Education CECM Janerose Nasimiyu Mutama during a bursary distribution at Muungano Secondary School. “When head teachers send students home repeatedly, especially in low‑income areas, many girls resort to transactional relationships to survive.”