NAIROBI, Kenya – A disturbing report released on Friday by the Africa Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) reveals that one in 10 women in Kenya still resort to harmful and unsafe methods to terminate unintended pregnancies.
Despite the availability of safer, WHO-recommended abortion methods, a significant number of women continue to turn to crude, potentially life-threatening practices, including inserting sharp objects, ingesting toxic substances, or taking unapproved medication.
The report highlights that 27% of women surveyed used traditional methods, such as ingesting herbs or drinking teas to induce abortion, illustrating the lengths to which women will go in desperate circumstances.
Kenneth Juma, a senior researcher at APHRC, explained that this behavior stems from desperation, even though women are aware of the risks associated with these unsafe methods.
According to the findings from a survey conducted between April 2023 and May 2024, 72% of women used methods recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), with 62% opting for medication abortion, most commonly using misoprostol alone or in combination with mifepristone.
Approximately 13% of women underwent a uterine evacuation procedure, most likely Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA).
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Guttmacher Institute and the Ministry of Health, estimates that there were 2.85 million pregnancies in Kenya in 2023, of which nearly 1.44 million were unintended. Of these, 792,694 pregnancies ended in induced abortion.
While many women use safer, recommended methods, the report underscores the alarming risks of unsafe abortions, including severe health complications.
Among the women who sought post-abortion care, 1.4% experienced severe maternal outcomes, with five women dying and eight others slipping into comas.
The report further indicates that 16.4% of cases involved life-threatening complications, while over half (53.7%) were classified as mild.
The severity of these complications was found to be greater among women with lower educational levels and those experiencing food insecurity.
Delays in accessing post-abortion care, whether due to financial constraints or road infrastructure issues, were linked to worsened outcomes.
This report calls attention to the continued dangers of unsafe abortions in Kenya and the urgent need for greater access to safe, legal abortion services and improved post-abortion care to prevent further harm to women’s health.
