Report | February 2025 | Download PDF
Kenya continues to face significant hurdles in the equitable provision of SRH services and commodities. While the national maternal mortality rate has seen a gradual decline, it remains high at 355 per 100,000 live births. Nationally, the uptake of modern contraceptives stands at 57% among currently married women and 59% for sexually active unmarried women aged 15–49. However, these national averages mask severe regional disparities; in Mandera, modern contraceptive use is critically low at just 1.8%, with similarly low rates in Marsabit (5.6%) and Isiolo (28.7%). In these counties, the unmet need for family planning remains a major crisis, reaching as high as 37.6%. Furthermore, among sexually active unmarried adolescents (15–19 years), the unmet need for family planning is estimated at 26% to 34%, highlighting a significant gap in youth-friendly services (KDHS, 2022).
This research therefore studied the availability, affordability and stockouts of 49 SRH commodities used for family planning, maternal healthcare, treatment of STIs, treatment of HIV/AIDS, in addition to several test kits and menstrual products, in Isiolo, Marsabit and Mandera counties in Kenya. By providing a comprehensive overview of the commodity landscape in these underserved regions, this study generates the evidence required to develop targeted policies that improve health outcomes for women and adolescents in Kenya’s most vulnerable counties. This report specifically focuses results in Marsabit County.
What we found
The findings of this research underscore a stark reality: while Kenya’s national SRH indicators are improving, the women and adolescents of Marsabit are being left behind. Examples of this include:
- Pervasive stockouts of family planning commodities in the public sector; etonogestrel implants and levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs were stocked out at 100% of public facilities, with gaps lasting up to 64 days.
- A sharp decline in the availability of life-saving maternal health commodities; oxytocin, the gold standard for preventing haemorrhage, dropped from 51.9% availability in 2022 to just 14.3% in 2025.
- Availability of HIV commodities is “suboptimal” and generally decreased; the most common regimen (Dolutegravir + Lamivudine + Tenofovir) reached only 37.5% availability in public facilities.
- There is a clear affordability gap in the private sector;While free or low-cost in public and faith-based sectors, an IUD in the private sector now costs the equivalent of 34.99 days of average income.
Learn more about SRH Commodities in Mandera County by downloading the full report (PDF)