Senators raise alarm as the country runs out of contraceptives

Fears of a potential rise in unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths have emerged following revelations that Kenya is facing a severe shortage of contraceptives across public health facilities.

Parliament is now pushing for the urgent release of Sh250 million to facilitate the procurement of family planning commodities amid warnings that delays could reverse gains made in reproductive healthcare over the years.

The concerns were raised by nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda following a stakeholder consultative meeting held in March that brought together key players in the health sector.

The meeting involved the Young Parliamentarians Association, the Ministry of Health, the National Council for Population and Development, civil society organisations, development partners and international agencies, including the United Nations Population Fund.

Mutinda, who sits on the Senate Health Committee, said the country is already experiencing critical stock-outs of essential family planning commodities in public health facilities.

According to the senator, several widely used contraceptives, including oral contraceptive pills, injectables, emergency contraceptive pills and cycle beads, are currently out of stock nationally.

She said implants, male condoms and intrauterine devices are also running at critically low levels.

“Family planning is a critical component of reproductive health and is directly linked to the right to the highest attainable standard of health as provided under Article 43 of the constitution,” Mutinda said.

She warned that continued delays in the release of funds threaten to undermine the country’s reproductive health programmes and derail efforts towards achieving universal health coverage.

Mutinda said the total estimated funding required for family planning commodities stands at about $22.9 million, equivalent to about Sh2.97 billion.

However, only Sh500 million was allocated in the 2025-26 financial year budget, with reports indicating only Sh250 million has so far been disbursed to the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency.

The remaining funds, she said, have not been released despite approvals already having been issued.

“The delay is particularly concerning because the procurement lead time for family planning commodities is approximately 13 months from the date of receipt of funds,” Mutinda said.

“Every delay in disbursement directly translates into prolonged stock-outs at health facilities and limited access to essential reproductive health services.”

The senator cautioned that failure to urgently address the crisis could have devastating social and economic consequences, particularly for women, girls and vulnerable populations who depend heavily on public healthcare facilities for reproductive health services.

She warned that the shortage could lead to increased unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, maternal deaths and additional healthcare costs associated with unmet family planning needs.

Mutinda further noted that Kenya risks losing support from development partners because some funding agreements are tied to the government’s domestic financing commitments.

She explained that under existing arrangements with the United Nations Population Fund, the government is expected to procure family planning commodities using domestic resources as a condition for receiving matching support from development partners.

“Continued non-disbursement exposes the country to the risk of losing future compact support and falling behind comparable countries in the region,” she warned.

The senator called on the National Treasury to immediately release the outstanding Sh250 million to Kemsa to enable urgent procurement and avert a deeper crisis.

She also demanded that the Ministry of Health and Kemsa provide Parliament with a comprehensive report detailing the current stock status of all family planning commodities, ongoing procurement pipelines and expected delivery timelines.

At the same time, Mutinda urged relevant parliamentary committees to investigate persistent delays in the release of family planning funds and establish whether administrative or financial bottlenecks are contributing to the crisis.

“The National Treasury and the Ministry of Health must develop a clear mechanism for ring-fencing family planning funds within the national budget to prevent diversion, delays or reprogramming of these allocations,” she said.

The senator also appealed for enhanced public awareness campaigns on family planning services, particularly targeting young people, women and underserved communities across the country.

She stressed that stronger collaboration between the national government, county governments, civil society organisations and development partners would be essential in improving access to reproductive health information and services.

“Family planning is not merely a health matter. It is a governance issue, a development imperative and a constitutional obligation,” Mutinda said.

“The failure to disburse funds already allocated for family planning commodities undermines the right to reproductive healthcare and weakens public finance accountability.”

She urged senators to support immediate interventions to ensure the release of the funds and protect reproductive health rights for millions of Kenyans who rely on public health facilities for family planning services.