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Acting Health Director General Patrick Amoth (pictured) said the use of contraceptives declined from 44 per cent in 2019/2020 to 29.6 per cent in 2020/2021/FILE

BIRTH CONTROL

Health ministry reports 14.4pc decline in contraceptives uptake

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 22 – Acting Health Director General Patrick Amoth has reported a decline in the use of contraceptives among women of reproductive health linked to COVID-19 disruption.

Speaking during his weekly Twitter segment dubbed Ask the DG, Amoth said the use of contraceptives declined from 44 per cent in 2019/2020 to 29.6 per cent in 2020/2021.

In comments which coincided with the commemoration of the Contraceptives Day, he said the Ministry of Health aims at expanding sustainable access to contraceptive uptake during the COVID pandemic and beyond, in a bid to avert unintended pregnancies.

“In Kenya, contraceptives use among women of reproductive health has been on an upward trajectory from 37.2 percent in 2017/18 to 44 per cent in 2019/2020. This rate has declined to 29.6 per cent in 2020/21, due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Amoth.

He however noted that Kenya is among leading countries in the uptake of modern contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 2021 World Population Data Sheet listed Kenya the fourth country with over 60 per cent use of modern contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa after Zimbabwe and Eswatini at 66 per cent and Lesotho 65 per cent.

Amoth said in 2020, Kenya attained a contraceptive uptake of 61 per cent while fertility dropped by 0.5 to 3.4 births per woman between 2014 and 2020.

“In 2021, it is estimated that use of contraception will avert more than 2.4 million unintended pregnancies and 6,100 preventable maternal deaths,” he said.

In 2020, injectables were the most common contraceptive method used at 54.1 per cent, followed by the male condoms (13.8 per cent), implants (13 per cent) and the pill (12.7 per cent).

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Intrauterine devices were scored at 3.9 per cent and emergency contraception (1.6 per cent). Female condoms at 0.8 per cent were less dominant methods of contraception.

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