The Family Planning Programme in Kenya: current impact and future prospects

Abstract

If fertility and mortality stay constant at the current rates, the population of Kenya will be 24.8 million in 1990 and 37.5 million by the year 2000. The number of people will double between 1979 and 1996. The government's policy on health is to control, prevent and ultimately eliminate communicable diseases, health deficiency conditions, environmental health hazards and problems associated with chilbirth. The Family Planning Programme measures include providing clinical and motivational services as well as disseminating family planning and population information. The programme has been successful in that: the contraceptive use among women increased from 7% in 1977/89 to 17% in 1984; the desire to have large families had declined from 6.5 children in 1977/78 to 5.8 in 1984; and in 1984, 90.5% of women indicated a desire to space and limit their fertility. The performance of the Programme has been constrained by limited availability of resources and their inefficient use. Future priorities include reducing mortality and increasing life expectancy.