• Older, uneducated, poor, rural women and women who had no kids or wanted no kids were those most likely to use contraception in secret.
• The most common methods used secretly are injections and implants, injections at 3.3 per cent and implants at 3.4 per cent.
Contraception is one of those topics that never cease to be contentious.
It sparks a whole lot of debate. From the type of contraception to use, to which age it should be introduced.
One thing that is for sure is that the burden of contraception use falls primarily upon women. Most modern contraceptives are targeted to women.
This however, brings to the fore the question of whether to tell (as a woman) your male partner, that you want to be on a certain contraceptive.
There is no easy answer here as Janet (not her real name) explains.
Janet, 33, says if you and your partner are not married but you would still want to be safe from the risk of unintended pregnancies, then you don't need to ask for their permission.
"It's my body and I get to choose, which contraceptive to use and whether I want to inform him (boyfriend) of what I am using," she said.
Janet says bodily autonomy- the full rights over her body include contraception.
Liz* also feels the same as Janet on the topic.
The 27-year-old says it is good to inform your partner but not to ask for permission.
"You can inform them so they can also accompany you to the clinic to get it. Family planning involves the family which starts with the husband and wife but you don't have to ask for permission," she said.
At clinics, health practitioners ask women who are looking to get contraception if they had had a prior discussion with their husband or significant other.
So what then prompts a woman not to inform their partner that they are using a contraceptive?
In 2014, only 7.8 per cent of Kenyan women of reproductive age used birth control secretly without their partners' knowledge.
"By 2018, the number had jumped to 12.2 per cent. In uneducated women, it was highest at 22.3 per cent," UN Women said.
Older, uneducated, poor, rural women and women who had no kids or wanted no kids were most likely to use contraception in secret.
The most common methods used secretly are injections and implants, injections at 3.3 per cent and implants at 3.4 per cent.
The most likely reasons include:
1. Too many children
Women who have had a number of children may want to stop or space their subsequent children's births.
Perhaps they had all the children at the behest of their partner and they don't want to let them know.
Doctors also advise women to space out the births of their children in order to remove the risks related to pregnancies.
Good communication is extremely important in any relationship.
However, some women struggle to communicate with their husbands on this subject out of fear.
"The fear of challenging a man’s sense of control is what some women consider. This prevents them from initiating the family planning discussion," UN women said.
2. Religion
Some denominations frown upon family planning saying God had commanded human beings to procreate and fill the earth.
However, like in the previous case, a doctor may recommend that one uses contraception to space out births and save their life.
"For some people, contraception is morally wrong. It has been argued that this method is like abortion, unnatural, can cause health risks, and more," the UK Journal of Science about the same phenomenon among South Asian women said.
It said that if you opt for birth control then you are anti-life causing the individual to feel ashamed for their actions.
Another reason South Asians argue birth control is morally wrong is that it makes it easier to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage.
For the same reason, young Kenyan women who are not married but are sexually active still hide their contraceptive for fear of being judged.
3. Abusive partners
One may also keep contraceptive use as a secret if they have an abusive partner.
However, the same may also lead to abuse if their partner finds out.
They might say it is a matter of infidelity and other misconceptions surrounding contraceptive use.
Catherine Akoth, from UoN's Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, reiterates the same.
"Secret use of contraception can lead to gender-based violence and discontinuation if discovered by male partners," she said.
It would therefore be easier to divulge that one is using contraceptives rather than hide it from their partner.