A new update from the Ministry of Health has revealed that most married women under the age of 49 in Kenya require contraception, either to prevent further childbearing or to delay their next pregnancy.
According to the National Update on Family Planning Program in Kenya, released ahead of World Contraception Day 2025, at least 46 percent of married women reported not wanting any more children, while 30 percent said they would prefer to delay their next pregnancy.
The report, prepared by the Division of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health, also highlighted regional disparities in fertility. Women living in rural areas have an average of 3.9 children compared to 2.8 among women in urban areas.
The Ministry said the Family Planning (FP) Programme is designed to raise awareness of contraceptive availability, accessibility, and use, while helping households achieve and maintain their desired family sizes. “The aim of the National FP Program is to ensure universal access to a wide range of quality, affordable and accessible family planning commodities, information and equitable services to enable all individuals to achieve their desired family size and improve their reproductive health,” the update stated.
Data further showed that six out of ten women are currently using some form of contraception. Among modern methods, injectables are the most popular, followed by implants, pills, and intrauterine devices (IUDs). The Ministry credited the steady increase in uptake to improved awareness, greater availability of contraceptives, and innovative approaches such as self-injection and the use of the Integrated Logistics Management Information System (iLMIS) to manage supply chains.
The campaign’s vision, according to the Ministry, is to ensure every pregnancy in the country is wanted by encouraging individuals to use family planning methods to prevent unintended pregnancies.
