Today is World Contraception Day, and a good time to reflect on the UK’s longstanding partnership with Kenya to improve access to family planning.
Empowering individuals with control over their sexual and reproductive health saves lives, reduces poverty and promotes gender equality by giving women the freedom to choose. Access to family planning (FP) services isn’t just about healthcare; it is a smart economic decision.
When individuals and families have the power to choose when and how many children they have, we see an impact on everything from individual well-being to a nation’s development trajectory.
Kenya stands on the cusp of a transformative era in reproductive health. Over the years, there has been tremendous progress in accelerating access to sexual and reproductive health, with Kenya recognised globally (winning the 2016 Excellence in Leadership for FP country award) for her remarkable strides in FP access. Over three decades, modern contraceptive use among women aged 15-49 years has risen from 27 per cent in 1993 to 57 per cent in 2022. This is a victory for the government’s commitment to sexual and reproductive health services, supported by the UK.
However, despite this success, disparities exist between counties, with some boasting a modern contraceptive prevalence rate near 70 per cent while others languish below 10 per cent. We therefore need to prioritise programmes that reduce these gaps in service provision. This is why the UK has been working with the Ministry of Health to implement the Delivering Equitable and Sustainable Increases in Family Planning (DESIP) programme. This six-year initiative began in 2019 and is more than just a health programme, it is a bold step towards reducing inequities, scaling up innovation, and improving access to FP.
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Alongside the Kenyan government, we’re working with Population Services Kenya, AMREF Kenya, Options Consultancy Services Limited, Faith to Action Network (F2A) Health Right International (HRI), Voluntary Service Overseas Kenya (VSO) and Population Services International (PSI) in 19 counties to increase access to contraceptives.
Community health promoters have been fundamental to this success - DESIP has trained them as community-based distributors of FP commodities. These local community activists have not only engaged their neighbours and peers but also created a network of youth, men and faith champions – all working to promote awareness and understanding of FP, while addressing cultural barriers.
In addition, our network of community-based distributors facilitates FP access at home or in community spaces. The DESIP programme has also trained champions to reach out to persons with disabilities to support access to FP services.
As we mark World Contraception Day today, we recognise that great strides have been made, but call for concerted and collaborative efforts between Kenya and the international community to overcome challenges, including limited and erratic stock of contraceptives, understaffing, lack of data and insufficient funding at national and county levels.
Investments are required to navigate these complexities and ensure lasting impact, including consistent financing, a well-supported healthcare workforce, and work to increase awareness and address misconceptions. Kenya should honour her commitment to transition to fully funding FP commodities by 2026.
The UK-Kenya health partnership has had a real and lasting impact on family planning, particularly for women and girls, but there is more to do.
The writer is the Deputy Development Director at the British High Commission