The Conversation: Kenya needs a new plan to make contraceptives accessible again
Chimaraoke Izugbara, head of population dynamics and reproductive health and director of research capacity strengthening at the African Population and Health Research Center

“…[F]rom the mid 1980s, support and funding for family planning in Kenya waned massively. This resulted in major reversals in strategic gains. Contraceptive and family planning services in Kenya have yet to fully recover from this hiatus. … Serving Kenyans who do not have access to contraception would prevent millions of unintended pregnancies, unplanned births, unsafe abortions, miscarriages, and maternal and infant deaths. And this is very doable. Bolstering contraceptive and family planning services in Kenya would require conscientious action from various sectors. This includes politicians, thought leaders, researchers, the media, health providers, educators, activists, and development agencies, among others. The task ahead of Kenya is attainable — but it demands that everybody, not just a section of the country, act” (10/19).