First years top in campus pregnancies

In almost all faculties of Moi University's main campus, current first year groups seem to lead in the number of pregnancy cases compared to their senior counter-parts.

This comes as a surprise because in the recent years, those joining public universities are generally perceived as being one year younger than those who joined in 2011 and before.

Before 2012, a students would stay for over 20 months after KCSE, waiting to join campus. This, in my opinion, gave them a chance to learn one or two things about the world. By the time such students began their final phase of the 8-4-4 education system, they were already mature as well as able to think and act like adults.

Today, this is no longer the case. Candidates complete their secondary education and immediately proceed to higher education, just the following year. This, according to me, is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to them.

In Moi University for instance, there is always a clear distinction between first years and the seniors. In the funny way they behave; walking in groups as if heading to a Physics contest, laughing and getting surprised at everything, bouncing along the paths as if trying to scare form ones; one finds no difficulty in identifying them, the former form fours.

Like in most campuses, first year female students are always the main target for senior male students. Their naivety always betrays them.

As innocent as they are, one thing leads to another, ending up yelling loudly inside rooms of senior male hostels, with no one willing to show up to their rescue. A few weeks later, resultant fruits begin to mould- pregnancy! The consequence of early exposure to maximum freedom.

What then can be done to rescue the situation? Public universities should incorporate 'funny' programs like sex education, guidance and counseling that help such young girls learn how to say no. This will in turn assist them to avoid a situation where a lady acquires two degrees at ago- one in her head, the other in her stomach!