The world marked the International Condom Day on Tuesday as counties in pastoral areas in Kenya continue to grapple with low uptake of contraceptives, shy away from condom use.
Most pastoralist communities in Kenya hold the belief that having many children is a symbol of wealth, and this has hindered efforts to promote family planning in these areas.
West Pokot county is among counties with the highest fertility rate in Kenya, with most women in the county bearing between six to seven children, making it one of the highest in fertility rates in the country.
The county has the second highest fertility rate of 6.9 percent according to the Kenya Demographic report of 2022, and it is mainly because women have not embraced family planning initiatives.
“The Pokot community still holds onto its culture that a woman should give birth to children till the end. The topography of West Pokot hinders women from accessing health facilities. Places like Endough, Chepnyal, and Alale health facilities are far apart,” said Mr Jefferson Mudaki, the Declares Organization, Kenya Director.
At 6.9 percent, West Pokot comes second after Mandera with 7.7 nationally.
The International Condom Day is marked to promote condom use as an inexpensive and highly effective tool to prevent transmission of HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies, according to the World Health Organisation, (WHO).
According to the Kenya Demographic Report, 2022 prepared by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), only 23 percent of women aged between 15-49 in West Pokot county use modern methods of family contraceptives, and this is below the national figure of 57 percent.
Mandera has 2.1 contraceptives use percentage, Wajir 3.0. Marsabit 5.9 percent, Tana River 24.8, Isiolo 30.7, Samburu, 33.7, and Turkana 43.8.
According to the report, West Pokot County is second in teenage pregnancies at (36 percent) an increase from 29 percent in 2014.
Repugnant culture, high poverty levels, political messages, peer pressure, food type, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are some of the factors that contribute to the high fertility rate in the county, as well as lack of education and exposure.
The county also has few health facilities at 150, a factor that contributes to low access to family planning services.
“There have been many cases where men went home to check the upper arms of their wives for any signs of an implant and then proceeded to raise hell if any was found. Women in the region had been giving birth to too many children because their husbands owned large herds of cattle, which helped them raise large families. But times had changed as the livestock died as a result of the drought,” Grace Cheptoo, a resident of Alale, recalls.
West Pokot region has an average poverty level of 67 percent compared to the national level of 45 percent, and low family planning uptake.
“When people are poor, they become sexually active. Politicians have also contributed as they tell people to sire many children so as to raise the population with intention of getting more resources and funds from the national government,” said Mr Mudaki, the Declares Organization, Kenya Director.
He called on stakeholders to involve politicians in population planning programmes, noting that many have been misleading the community to give birth to many children, while targeting votes.
Francis Soprin, a member of the Kapenguria Theatre group says for family planning programs to succeed, there must be an understanding between the wife and husband to follow proper medical advice.
The percentage of women aged 15–19 who have ever been pregnant is highest in Samburu (50 percent), West Pokot 36 percent and Baringo (20 percent).
