We are already in the electioneering period and politicians are requesting votes from Kenyans while listing multiple promises if elected.
Their manifestos widely focus on how they’ll grow the economy, get rid of corruption whereas leaving out some issues of equal importance we have hoped they would cover.
Among the issues include access to the highest attainable standard of reproductive health care for adolescents and young people.
Young people prefer accessing reproductive health care at youth-friendly centres, for this to happen effectively these facilities have to be fully equipped and stocked with sexual reproductive health commodities and friendly health service providers.
The 2019 census data estimates, the country's adolescents and youth comprise more than 60 per cent of the entire population in Kenya.
With this, their reproductive health needs have continuously diversified and with the pre-existing gaps in accessing youth-friendly services, it has been more difficult for young people to find centres around them and ones that are fully equipped.
Provision of adolescents and youth-friendly services has the potential of improving access and uptake of reproductive health services hence reducing great ailments we have been experiencing as a country such as new HIV infections and early unintended pregnancies among young people also creating a positive ripple effect to the peers around them.
Politicians should remain awake to not just the economy but also the health needs of the current largest voting demographic thus and have their interests at heart.
Their manifestos should reflect that by outlining how their leadership will set up resource mobilisation structures to have more youth-friendly centres.
It’s a great start that politicians have young people’s economic growth mapped out, it would also speak more to see their reproductive health prioritised for it will greatly contribute to the success of their lives and beneficiaries as a whole.
The writer is the assistant communication officer at the centre for the study of adolescence.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
