This archive report was first published on 21 July 2021.
At 13, Betty became pregnant and was turned away from a hospital when she sought family planning services. She was later ordered to remove implants by her school's deputy head teacher, fearing her education would be discontinued.
Despite having the implants removed, Betty conceived again just three months later. It was only after a nurse explained to the teacher why family planning was essential that Betty was able to access the services she needed.
Another teenager, Sarah, was stigmatised by health workers at a Migori hospital for seeking family planning services. She was told to abstain from sex instead, and a month later, she conceived. She also contracted HIV from a relative who had defiled her.
These stories are a testament to the lack of comprehensive information on family planning and reproductive health services in Kenya. A report by the Centre for Reproductive Rights and Trust for Indigenous Culture Health found that girls aged 15 and above had less knowledge on how to prevent pregnancy.
Meanwhile, women aged between 21 and 30 were found to be most knowledgeable about preventing unintended pregnancies. However, most girls under 15 who reported abstaining were either single or in school, while most of those using contraceptives and were above 15 years were either married or had steady partners.
According to the report, majority of women and girls, irrespective of age, are uninformed about their constitutional rights to reproductive health, including abortion. Many are unaware that the law permits abortion in some circumstances.
Learning institutions were found to offer limited or no education on sexual and reproductive health, despite girls preferring to receive such information from their schools. Health professionals said most girls don't feel free to seek information on reproductive health or family planning due to fear of being judged and stigmatised.
As a result, many girls are forced to seek unsafe abortions, which can lead to serious health complications and even death. In 2020, a 15-year-old girl from Baringo walked 15 kilometres to Marigat Hospital hoping to procure an abortion, but was turned away.
According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2014, 35 per cent of maternal deaths in Kenya were caused by unsafe abortions. A survey by the Ministry of Health and African Population and Health Research Centre in 2012 showed that at least 464,000 abortions were procured that year.
Another report, released by the Ministry of Health in 2018, showed that treatment of complications resulting from unsafe abortions was costing the public health system heavily. A doctor takes about 7.4 hours to treat a person with complications from unsafe abortion, and the average cost is between Sh3,264 to Sh9,133.
Advocacy adviser Betty Odallo wants the government to ensure girls and women access comprehensive, accurate and timely information on reproductive health services. She also wants the government to educate men and boys on the importance of reproductive health so they can support and facilitate women's access to such information.
