This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
Published on November 6, 2019, a story was shared at a forum for journalists about a married mother of many children who lost her bid to plan her family.
The woman, from a polygamous marriage in a rural area, needed quality life for her children but her husband could no longer support them due to economic hardships. However, he refused to adopt family planning, leaving her with a difficult decision.
She approached a co-wife and confided in her about seeking family planning services, but someone leaked the secret, and her husband gave her an ultimatum: adopt family planning and leave the marriage or continue giving birth and remain his wife. She chose to remain.
This is not an isolated case, with many women in rural areas struggling to raise many children due to poverty, ignorance, cultural practices, or lack of access to family planning.
There should be no reason for anyone to lack access to contraceptives in this day and age. The government must ensure that women are empowered to plan their families and lives through family planning if they want it.
Empowering women and girls translates to the well-being of families, communities, and the nation. The government must take the lead in removing barriers to empowerment, education, and progress of women and girls.
According to Population Reference Bureau (PRB) statistics, Kenya loses 5,500 mothers yearly to pregnancy- and birth-related complications. Angeline Siparo, PRB's Country Director, Kenya and Regional Technical Advisor, East and Southern Africa, contends that if counties prioritised family planning, we could avert the loss of an additional 2,138 lives by 2020.
