This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
Published on June 23, 2021, a report by the Centre for Reproductive Rights and the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health highlights the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information among women and girls in Kenya.
The report, titled Access to SRHR Information by Women and Girls in Kenya: An Assessment of Nairobi, Bungoma, Homabay, Kericho and Kilifi Counties, found that despite the constitutional framework guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health rights, women in Kenya still lack access to such information.
According to the report, at least 80 percent of the women surveyed use contraceptives, but only 12 percent of girls between ages 12 and 19, and women between 21 and 30, have knowledge about menstruation. The report notes that girls and women under 25 years reported the lowest understanding of reproductive rights.
Advocacy Adviser for Africa at Centre for Reproductive Rights, Betty Odallo, faulted the government for failing to provide SRHR information, stating that government facilities provided some information on reproductive health services but failed to provide complete and prior information on abortion care, post-abortion care, assisted reproduction, and contraceptives.
TICAH Executive Director Jade Maina called on the government to keep their end of the bargain, emphasizing the need to provide the information and avert risks attributed to sex. The report presents recommendations on how the government and stakeholders can improve access to reproductive health information, including undertaking awareness campaigns on sexual and reproductive health across the country.
