On a warm afternoon in Lang’ata, 44-year-old Mary Mutima sat outside her house surrounded by her four children. The mother was sharing pieces of advice with her daughters in a firm and caring tone. “In my family, I take time to talk with my teens about matters contraception,” she explained.
As the girls dispersed to attend to household chores assigned by their mother, Mary reflected on her own experience with family planning. One that mirrored a broader reality in many Kenyan communities, with an intersection of health, culture, religion, and social expectation.
She narrated that after her second child, she needed a break before considering another. But when her husband discovered she was using contraception, he accused her of being proud and of not wanting more children because she believed she was better than others.
“I chose the IUD as my preferred family planning option, and it worked effectively for me. In the process my husband realized that there was something different about my reproductive health and he inquired about it,” she said.
Mary recalled how her husband took her back to the health facility where she had procured the IUD, and it was reversed. She went on to have two more children.
For some men, resistance to family planning is rooted in beliefs about masculinity. Peter Mwangi, a 41-year-old boda boda rider in Bombolulu, Kibra and a father of three, admitted that he once opposed contraception.
“I grew up being told that a real man must have a good number of children.When my wife suggested family planning, I thought she wanted freedom to misbehave,” he said. It was only after the couple struggled to afford school fees and medical bills that Peter began to reconsider his stance.
“I saw how stressed we were, with bills piling up.Now I encourage other men to consider family planning,” added Peter.
Teenagers face a different form of stigma when it comes to contraception. Aisha Were, a 17-year-old secondary school student at Olympic High School, said that young people are often excluded from family planning conversations.
“They tell us not to have sexual relations, but they don’t tell us what to do if it happens.If a girl asks about contraception, she is judged as immoral,” she said.
Older generations hold rooted views shaped by traditions. Mzee Samuel Odhiambo, 72, reminisced about a time when family planning was unheard of.
“In our days, children were wealth. If you farmed, you needed many hands to help out,” he said. He acknowledged that times have changed. “Life is expensive now. I see my grandchildren struggling. Maybe spacing children is wisdom, not rebellion,” he added.
For elderly women like Mama Ruth, 68, family planning is a conversation tied with regret. “I gave birth to eight children. I love them, but my body suffered,” she said. Today, she encourages her daughters to consider contraception. “I tell them, don’t suffer like we did. Take care of your health.”
Religious beliefs also play a powerful role in shaping community attitudes. While some faith leaders oppose modern contraceptives, framing them as interference with divine will, others hold different views.
Pastor John Mutua of Lang’ata’s PAG Church believes family planning and faith do not have to be at odds.
“Responsible parenthood is biblical. If a family cannot care for ten children, it is considerate not to bring them into suffering,” he said.
Legal Frameworks Shaping Reproductive Choices in Kenya
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) provides the most authoritative legal basis for family planning. Under Article 43(1)(a), every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes reproductive health care services. This provision obligates the state to ensure that family planning information and services are available, accessible, acceptable, and of good quality.
Further, Article 45, which recognizes the family as the fundamental unit of society, affirms the right of individuals and couples to make decisions regarding the number and spacing of their children.
Kenya’s family planning framework is also shaped by its international obligations. The country is a signatory to FP2030, committing to increase modern contraceptive use and reduce unmet need. These commitments reinforce domestic laws by aligning Kenya with global standards on reproductive rights and gender equality.
Calls for Family Planning Uptake
Beatrice Mwangi, a reproductive health specialist at Mbagathi hospital explained that while awareness of contraception has increased significantly in Kenya, acceptance has not grown at the same pace across all social groups.
“In many communities, family planning is still negotiated within cultural expectations around masculinity, fertility and lineage,” she said. Nurse Mwangi emphasized that men resist contraception out of fear of losing authority, while women often carry the burden of decision-making without full support.
She further said that adolescents face moral judgment that discourages them from seeking services, despite clear health risks associated with early and unintended pregnancies. For older generations,she mentioned that they have been shaped by traditions that equated large families with wealth and security.
Nurse Mwangi noted that misinformation such as beliefs that modern contraceptives cause infertility and illnesses continues to fuel resistance.
She argued that sustainable progress requires engaging entire communities, including men, elders, and faith leaders, rather than targeting women alone.
Family Planning Statistics in Kenya
Kenyan women are increasingly taking charge of their reproductive health, with 46 per cent of women of reproductive age saying they do not want more children.
This is according to the 2025 National Update on Family Planning Programme in Kenya by the Ministry of Health’s Division of Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health (DRMNCAH).
The ministry noted that the National Family Planning Programme is designed to ensure universal access to quality, affordable, and accessible contraceptives, alongside information and services that enable individuals to achieve their desired family size.
The report by the ministry, further showed that 30 per cent of women want to delay their next pregnancy, while 76 per cent need contraception.
The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, showed that while 76 per cent of married women want to delay or avoid pregnancy, only 57 per cent currently use modern contraception.
Rethinking Family Planning Approaches at the Community
“Decisions around contraception must be grounded in accurate information and shaped through community-led conversations that respect cultural and religious sensitivities,”said nurse Mwangi.
She noted that family planning cannot succeed if it is presented as a women-only issue while also as an attack on faith and traditions.
“Men, young people, elders and faith leaders must all be part of the discussion,”she added.
Nurse Mwangi emphasized the need for sustained community outreach through trusted platforms such as churches, mosques, barazas, and schools alongside expanded access to youth-friendly and male-inclusive services at health facilities.
She also called for the strengthening of counselling services to help couples make informed, voluntary decisions together, noting that coercion whether from partners, families and other institutions undermines both trust and uptake.
“Aligning health messaging with everyday realities such as the rising cost of living, maternal health risks, and children’s welfare can help bridge ideological divides,” she asserted.
Nurse Mwangi pointed out that communities should uphold family planning as a tool for protecting their health and securing a dignified future for their families, rather than a moral battleground.
