Her body, their rules: How Maasai men call shots on family planning

Emily Sapuk, a community health promoter in Kajiado County. [Courtesy]

Growing up in a Maasai community, Ezekiel Lesiau, now 25, says conversations about sexual and reproductive health were largely absent from his childhood. Like many boys raised in traditional settings, he learnt about cultural expectations, marriage and family responsibilities long before he understood contraception, HIV/AIDs prevention or reproductive health rights.

It was only after joining college that Lesiau began to understand that he could make choices about his relationships or reproductive health.