Kenya made their periodic report to the African Commission of Human’s and Peoples Rights 57th Ordinary session in Gambia on the 8th of November 2015. It is important to note that the last time Kenya reported was in 2008. The periodic report covered period 2008 to 2014. On the Right to Health Kenya reported an increase in the number of health centers and hospitals. The state report then state that this in turn has led to reduced the number of referrals to the national hospital.
Listening to the report, a few thoughts crossed my mind. As Kenyan citizens we do want improved access to health care services, and an increase in the number of health care facilities makes services available. What I wondered is whether we want many health centers, hospitals that are difficult to access, are poorly staffed with few personnel, that lack essential medicines and supplies to cater for the population? Is having many health centers which are rather supported by development partners enough to ensure access to accessible, affordable, acceptable and quality health care for all? Kenya’s budgetary allocation to health falls far short from their commitment made in 2001 when they signed the Abuja Declaration. The declaration requires states to commit 15% of the national budget to health. Kenya’s allocation is at 6.5 percent, which is still very low.
As much as Kenya reported to have made milestones with regards to health, important aspects that touch on the sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights were not considered. Kenya reports alluded to the fact that the reduction of maternal mortality in Kenya is due to the increased number of women giving births in the hospital from 44 percent to 64 percent. With this statistics Kenya did not mention the fact that one of the major cause of maternal mortality rates in Kenya is unsafe abortion. With 425,000 induced abortion every year of which 120,000 are from complications resulting from unsafe abortion it is important for Kenya to commit to saving women’s lives. We acknowledge free maternity for women however there’s need for increased access to contraception, information and services of sexual and reproductive health, increase youth friendly services from the current 10 percent, release the guideline and standards on safe abortion as well as provision of comprehensive sexuality education. These are the aspects that Kenya did not report on to the African Commission on Human’s and People’s rights.
Sitting in this meeting as a young woman I feel that the government has done disservice for the women in Kenya. It is high time for Kenya to acknowledge the fact that women are suffering and dying every day from preventable causes and they should act and not sit and watch. With the high cases of teenage pregnancies, lack of access to reproductive health information and services including safe abortions, early child and forces marriages, increased HIV/AIDS infections for adolescents and lack of comprehensive sexuality education Kenya should commit and make concrete plans in ensuring the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for women and girls are achieved.
After the report I spoke to Madam Winfred Lichuma the commissioner of the National Gender and Equality commission and Mr. Kenneth Okoth Member of Parliament Kibera and this is what they had to say.
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Unfiltered 
I think as civil society organizations we need to place timelines within which governments can deliver on pertinent issues like Health, such timelines will help in developing a monitoring Evaluation and learning framework (MEL) for our work which in turn will make governments accountable on the Global Financing Facility(GFF) of every woman every child to which Kenya is one of the first beneficiaries on the continent .
http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/brief/global-financing-facility-in-support-of-every-woman-every-child
The GFF if properly used is an instrument that could change the face of health in Kenya especially maternal health however people should know that it is a loan whose burden our children will have to shoulder therefore as civil society we must make sure the funds are properly used and not mismanaged like other funds through corruption and bribery with impunity.
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