By Gift Briton
As Makueni County hosts the official World Contraception Day celebrations, the spotlight is expected to fall on Kenya’s progress and persistent challenges in family planning.
In Nairobi, health leaders set the tone ahead of the event, outlining pathways to bridge the gap between ambitious family planning targets and current domestic investment levels.
Dr. Edward Serem, Head of the Division of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), emphasized that Kenya’s family planning ambitions require strategic domestic investment and innovative partnerships.
“Kenya is now a middle-income country. The issue is not poverty but the need to reallocate and reprioritise resources from the exchequer,” he said during a media breakfast meeting in Nairobi.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), unmet need for family planning remains at 14 percent, with more than six million women relying on modern contraceptives. Adolescents and young women face the sharpest challenges: the KDHS shows nearly one in four have an unmet need, contributing to high rates of teenage pregnancy.
The 2024/25 Budget Statement allocated Ksh1 billion for reproductive health commodities, including family planning. While this marks an important step in managing the transition from donor dependence, experts warn the figure is below actual requirements. With USAID and other traditional funders scaling back, the need to strengthen domestic financing mechanisms is urgent.
Still, Kenya has recorded important gains. Modern contraceptive prevalence has risen above 40 percent, and the government has successfully overseen parts of the donor transition without major disruptions. Experts argue that maintaining this progress now depends on predictable domestic financing and deliberate prioritisation within the national budget.
“We cannot afford interruptions,” Dr Serem said, urging Parliament to safeguard family planning commodities in the national budget.
Alongside calls for budgetary reform, innovation featured prominently. Yasmin Chandani, CEO of inSupply Health, pointed to self-care methods like DMPA-SC, a self-injectable contraceptive now available in public and private pharmacies.
“Self-care puts control in the hands of women and girls,” she said. “If they can pick up multiple doses from a nearby pharmacy and manage six months of protection, they are less likely to drop out of school or delay their careers.”
InSupply Health, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is working in 11 counties to strengthen supply chains and data systems. The approach aims to reduce pressure on public facilities while offering women more choice and discretion.
As Kenya marks World Contraception Day, health leaders deliver a clear policy message: achieving family planning targets requires reliable domestic funding and coordinated action. The government must increase budget allocations while maintaining strategic partnerships.
