Despite decades of investment, the unmet need for modern contraception remains high across low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), including Kenya. Women of reproductive age continue to face barriers such as misinformation, weak health systems, limited access to quality services, and restrictive gender norms. Although Kenya’s policy frameworks, including the Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan (2017–2022) and the National Reproductive Health Policy (2022–2032), provide strong guidance, implementation challenges persist, particularly in rural areas. Download to read more:

Despite progress in expanding access to modern contraceptives in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa, uptake remains unacceptably low among women of reproductive age, particularly in rural, arid, and marginalised settings. This policy brief synthesises evidence from 17 studies conducted between 2015 and 2025 across Kenya and other Sub-Saharan African countries. It identifies key sociocultural, systemic, and structural barriers to contraceptive use and proposes actionable, context-specific policy responses. Addressing these barriers is crucial to reducing unintended pregnancies, enhancing maternal and child health outcomes, and achieving national and global development targets, including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and SDG 5. Download to read […]