LOW UPTAKE OF FAMILY PLANNING CONTRIBUTES TO HIGH MATERNAL RATE
BY MAURICE ALAL reporting from Kisumu Kenya

In the remote village of Nyandiwa,Gwasi Division in Homabay County,lives Monica Adhiambo, 32, and a mother of 8, whose life is full of regret for failing to embrace the family planning methods offered in health facilities in the country.

" My husband was reluctant to uptake the family planning methods. He was just a peasant farmer who could not provide enough for the large family we had," Adhiambo recalls.

She now lives in a very pathetic condition since the death of her husband in 2003.Most of the time her family had to go without food.

Adhiambo recalls how various health experts tried to sensitized them of
the benefits of the family planning that could enable them to
have a number of children to provide for amicably.

The mother of five boys and 3 girls now lives in hand to mouth at the
mercy of the well wishers. Most of the children are unable to access
post primary education due lack of money.

Adhiambo is also living by weeding to people in their farms at a cost
of Shs.100 to Shs. 300 to have a meal on the table for the 8 children.

She is just one of the many women who are suffering in silence due to
poverty and many children that they can hardly plan and provide for.

A thing that experts say can be avoided if Kenyans could embrace the
family planning method that helps in the poverty reduction.

You can imagine how many women or people are suffering in the region because of poverty.

This is now worrying the demographers, they say that there is low use of family planning methods in Kenya especially in Nyanza region.

The low uptake of the family planning methods contributes to high numbers of closely spaced births which plays a role in maternal illness, injuries and
deaths.

The demographic and Health survey 2008 – 2009 estimated maternal
mortality at 488 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is among the
highest ratios in the world.

A total of 8,000 women die yearly. This means that 666 women die every
month with 22 succumb daily due to pregnancy complications at birth in
Kenya.

The National Council for population and Development (NCPD) officials
now expressed confidence that the high rate of maternal death can
drastically reduce if Kenyans embrace the family planning methods.

According to the officials the government has included family planning
in its development strategy since and has somewhat succeeded at
lowering the fertility rate or the number of births per woman.

It is said the fertility declined from 8.0 both per woman in the late
1970s to 4.6 in 2009. Most declined occurred between 1980 – 2000, with
the rate remaining stagnant since 2003.

The NCPD officer Patricia Lasoi says that Kenya’s population reached
38 million in 2009, having doubled over the previous 25 years. An
estimated 1 million people are added each year at a growth rate of
30%.

However, United Nations projects that the population will reach 66
million by 2030 where economist say will revamp the vision 2003 and
increase the rate of material death rates countrywide.

Kenya used to lead in family planning but today knowledge about family
planning is almost universal, 97% both men and women know about
contraceptive methods yet only 46 % married women are using form of
family planning.

Lasoi said that 26% of married women prefer to avoid a pregnancy but
are not using any method of family planning. These women are referred
to as having unmet need for family planning.

“About 43% of Kenya’s population is under 15 years of age who enter
reproductive and begin to have children further contributing maternal
death and population growth rate” she said.

Health experts now say that most maternal death occurs due to lack of
access to health facilities and information thereby contributing to
high rate of home deliveries especially in rural areas.

Nyanza Regional Population Coordinator, Oduor Onyango said that there
is 458/ 100,000 crude birth rate and 19% of 100,000 crude death rates
in the region.

Onyango also revealed that there is high mortality rate of 149/ 1000
with low life expectancy; male 41.7 years and female 48 years which
can be improve with embracement of family planning.

“There is also high poverty level of 53 % (KIHBS) 2006 of people
living below a dollar,” Onyango said.

The duo stated that the trends in fertility in the country led to high
population growth. Nyanza with 5.4%, western 5.6%, Nairobi 2.8% North
Eastern 5.9% and Central 3% percent that increase the number of women
who die due to pregnancy complications.

However, only 37% of the Nyanza residents are using family planning
among the married couples, Central 67% Western 47% Rift Valley 42%,
North Eastern 4% and Nairobi 55%. This shows the low uptake of the
family planning.

The trend in maternal care condition in Kenya indicates that 78% visit
health facility both antenatal care from a health profession. In 2008
– 09 43% of women delivered in health facility .

Health facilities delivery, national 42.6% and Nyanza 44.2% due to
lack of information and access to the facilities.

“Nyanza region is currently during poorly interns of institutional
delivery among pregnant women. Young mothers are at the higher risks
for mobility and mortality – maternal death 4% in 15 – 24 years old,”
said Lasoi.

Onyango said that family planning helps family members to have
children they can plan for amicable in terms of education and health
services among others urging the communities to fully uptake the
exercise.

According to Dr Ezekiel Ojwang’ family planning helps women to get
healed after delivery thereby reducing chances of maternal illness
injuries and deaths countrywide.

“Kenya needs quality population growth that can be budgeted for in a
bid to improve economic development,” said Dr. Ojwang’ adding that
this will see improvement of living standards to the people.

Ojwang’ said that if Kenya is to achieve the goals of Vision 2030 and
curb its rapid population growth, citizens living in both urban and
rural communities must be able to access quality family planning
services and effective methods.

This will reduce unmet need for family planning among women, lower
population growth rate, maternal death, and enhance services-economic
development for all.

He further revealed that for government to achieve reduction of
maternal death rate by 75% in 2015 according to Millennium Development
Goals then family planning must be embraced.

This, he said can be achieved through accessibility to health facility
by the residents of Kenya.

The officials revealed that 1 million women in Kenya become pregnant
without family planning. Therefore to achieve MDGs of reducing
maternal death rate below 200 per 100,000 live births, all
stakeholders need to support the exercise.

END