Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) calls for adequate allocation of resources for reproductive health services and maternal healthcare
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7 – The Kenya Human Rights Commission has raised an alarm over recent study by the Ministry of Health,African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and Guttmacher Institute that has shown estimated 792,694 induced abortions occurred in Kenya in 2023.
The study revealed that more than half of all women with post-abortion complications received treatment in public health facilities Statistics align with research findings indicating that 355 women die each year for every 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related complications with five women reported to have died from abortion-related complications, while eight others remained in a coma.
The report further disclosed that 16.6 per cent of the cases were deemed potentially life-threatening outcomes that could have been prevented with timely and adequate medical intervention.
Center for Reproductive Rights 2023 report documents cases where women and girls who became pregnant from sexual violence were criminalized or denied safe abortion care, pushing them towards clandestine unsafe procedures that risk their lives.
“The Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance (RHRA) expresses deep concern over the government’s continued failure to adequately address sexual and reproductive health gaps, particularly in the prevention and response to rape and defilement, these systemic gaps have contributed to rising cases of teenage pregnancies, increased school dropouts among girls and life-threatening maternal complications resulting from unsafe abortions”, they said.
In addition, they expressed disappointment over failure of law enforcement, health institutions and policy actors to respond effectively to rape and defilement that has left many young girls pregnant, stigmatized and forced to abandon their education.
“Instead of receiving justice and care, survivors are often silenced by cultural taboos, weak legal enforcement, and a health system that is ill-prepared to offer timely, comprehensive post-rape services”, they stated.
The Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance, demands that the government must allocate adequate resources especially for reproductive health services and maternal healthcare, during its next financial year of 2025-2026.
In the 2022-2023 financial year, Kenyan government allocated Sh116.42 billion to the health docket against an annual budget of Sh2.25 trillion, representing 5.17 per cent of the total budget.
Health docket in 2023-2024 financial year received Sh134.437 billion against an annual budget of Sh3.7 trillion, which is 3.63 per cent while In the financial year 2024-2025 government allocated Sh127 billion to the health sector against an annual budget of Sh3.992 trillion, representing 3.18 per cent.
Furthermore, they call for Institutional accountability in handling rape and defilement cases, including effective investigation, prosecution and survivor support.
“We call for scale up of youth friendly and adolescent-specific sexual reproductive health services, including emergency contraception, safe abortion where legally permitted and psychosocial support with Mandatory re-entry policies for pregnant girls and robust school retention strategies and Nationwide campaigns to combat stigma, educate communities and empower survivors”.
