Ravaging drought has forced parents in West Pokot County to marry off their girls at an early age as a way of getting a dowry, which they use to sustain themselves. This has led to young girls dropping out of school. A 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey indicates that West Pokot county is at number 2 countrywide with 36 percent of teenage pregnancy cases.

In this feature story, Caren Waraba talks to young girls who were forcefully married off but later escaped to continue with their studies.