After being ranked among the top counties in the country with high cases of new HIV infections, teen pregnancies, and gender-based violence, stakeholders in the County have come out to embrace sensitization as a way of reaching out to the vulnerable groups to help combat the menace.

Bungoma County special programs director Caren Wanyonyi engaged principals and guidance and counseling teachers from senior schools across the County in a three-day workshop that involved officers from the Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Education, saying they were vital in the exercise.

She says teachers spend more time with the students and are capable of imparting the necessary knowledge to them regarding the triple threat, saying they are not leaving anything to chance.

“We needed this multi-sectoral approach to ensure we reach out to the students who are teenagers and are at a high risk of contracting HIV as well as falling pregnant if they are not careful with their lives,” she said.

Bungoma Deputy Governor Jenipher Mbatiany said many sponsors who were in charge of several programs related to the triple threat were pulling out due to many factors, saying it has caused the County leadership to change tactics.

She says Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka is keen to have the numbers reduced, saying every stakeholder must play his/her part well to have the county secure and free from the triple threat.

Deputy director of health in Bungoma, Dr. Emma Nyaboke, applauded the efforts, saying as a department they are on top of the course to provide the necessary support and guidance.