The Social, Education, Health, and Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Kenya’s Adolescents

Abstract

AbstractThe first case of COVID-19 was detected in Kenya in March 2020. Initial government responses included several containment measures such as school closures, movement limitations, and bans on public gatherings. These measures had many follow-on effects, in particular for the country’s vulnerable adolescents. Between June 2020 and February 2021 two round of quantitative data was collected in four counties in Kenya (Kilifi, Kisumu, Nairobi, and Wajir) via phone surveys (n = 3,921). In addition, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted in person in November 2020 with adolescents, parents, and other key stakeholders (n = 234). Results showed that the pandemic’s effects on adolescents were wide-reaching and often differed by gender. While 85% of students reported doing some form of remote learning during school closures, 98% of them reported considerable challenges with less than one-third using technology (i.e., computers, phones, television, and radio) to support their learning. Over half of the adolescents reported depressive symptoms and over three-quarters reported skipping meals in the past week due to COVID-19. Twelve percent of girls and 9% of boys reported skipping healthcare services in the past one month, with the most common reason being lack of money to access the needed service. Once school had fully re-opened, 16% of girls and 8% of boys who were enrolled at the start of the pandemic had not re-enrolled. Given the wide, multi-sectoral nature of the impacts of the pandemic, a coordinated response involving education, health, and gender actors, as well as government and non-government partners, will be needed to mitigate the long-term negative impacts for Kenya’s adolescents, in particular girls and other marginalized groups.