Kenya and PAI: A History of Partnership

By Beth Orero

Population Action International has been instrumental in advocating for policies and programs that promote universal access to family planning services, and educational and economic opportunities for girls and women. PAI collaborates with numerous country-level partners. Kenya was one of the first countries to report the effects of the Mexico City policy in 2001. To confirm these reports with data and substantial information PAI, in partnership with Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK) and Marie Stopes Kenya (MSK), conducted collaborative investigation and research that resulted in the production of a documentary (Access Denied), and accompanying fact sheets that indicated the effects of the United States policy restrictions on family planning in select developing countries. PAI also worked with EngenderHealth, Ipas, Pathfinder International, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) on this project. In 2006, collaboration with a Kenyan researcher in the UK investigated the effect of restrictive policies and the funding shift away from family planning services on the increasing infant and maternal mortality rates indicated by the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). A recent partnership with Center for the Study of Adolescence (CSA) resulted in production of a documentary and fact sheets highlighting the effects of United States restrictions on HIV prevention in Kenya and Uganda. The Abstaining from Reality documentary premiered in the British Parliament in March 2007, and will be shown in the United States in May 2007.

It is estimated that the population of Kenya is currently 35 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.4%. Since the East African nation's independence in 1963, the population of the country has doubled. This rapid population increase was initially attributed to a thriving economy, and improved living conditions. To curb this growth, the government initiated a national family planning program in 1967, the first of its kind on the continent. This was followed by a national population policy in 1984. During the 70s and 80s, the country experienced a boost in economic growth, and decline in average fertility, from 8.1 in 1977/78 to 4.7 in 1998.

The gains in the country's economy, development, health, and population growth are now a distant memory. Total fertility rate has increased to 4.9, life expectancy is down to 48, and more than half the population lives below the national poverty line. Corruption, dwindling resources, high population growth rates, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and an incompetent public health system are major contributors to the rapidly deteriorating economy, development, and health of the country.

Foreign aid constitutes a huge chunk of the country's budget. Kenya relies heavily on donors for projects across all sectors. These include health and education, infrastructure, rural development, and human development. The country currently receives funding from various organizations for health programs, with HIV/AIDS taking precedence. Major donors include IPPF, PEPFAR, USAID, UNFPA, and the World Bank. Family planning programs are essential to reduce the average fertility rate and subsequently curb population growth.

Beth Orero is an intern in PAI's Public Policy and Strategic Initiatives department. Her father was in PAI's landmark documentary Access Denied: U.S. Family Planning Restrictions in Zambia.