Kenyan government drops plans to increase Family planning fees

Family planning fees in Kenya create financial barriers to essential reproductive health services, including access to contraceptives, particularly for women from low-income backgrounds and slums. The Nairobi City Council put forward a Finance Bill to increase these fees – risking limiting access to essential healthcare services for vulnerable women and increasing teenage pregnancies.

If this Bill had become a reality, it would have set a precedent for the entire country to increase Family Planning fees and make contraceptives inaccessible to women. 


Deborah Monari was supported by Nguvu Collective to build a coalition of youth empowerment and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) organisations to quickly rally vocal opposition to the increased fees. Following the submission of 2 memorandums to the  Nairobi County Assembly and with Deborah’s petition gaining media attention, Governor H.E. Sakaja Arthur Johnson assented to a bill with critical amendments that eliminated and reduced a variety of fees. He was quoted saying, “We had initially proposed new charges on Reproductive health but, during the public participation, the public expressed their views and we heard and maintained and reduced some of the charges.”

This decision is a triumph for reproductive health and women’s rights, offering a brighter future where individuals can exercise their right to access family planning services without financial barriers.

Image: Citizen Digital Instagram Post about Deborah’s Victory. News Story Link.

Deborah has had experience running a campaign to establish Patient Rights Committees with the support of Nguvu Collective. Her understanding of the healthcare landscape and her ability to navigate both online and offline advocacy channels contributed to the rapid response and effectiveness of the campaign.

Nguvu Collective staff supported Deborah to employ a multi-faceted approach that combined online and offline strategies:

  • The online petition, supported by social media campaigns and a popular hashtag (#NoToFamilyPlanningFees), engaged a wide audience and garnered support across the country in a way that made public sentiment visible to decision-makers considering the Bill.
  • Nguvu Collective gave logistical support for on-ground mobilisation including printing and delivery of letters to the Nairobi City County Assembly and the Office of the Governor.
  • Submitted memorandums to the Nairobi County Assembly, collaborating with SRHR organisations to include national data on teenage pregnancies. This has opened up opportunities for ongoing collaboration with SRHR organisations to ensure the effective implementation of the amended provisions.

The combination of grassroots mobilisation, media engagement, and public participation played a crucial role in the campaign’s success.

Deborah wil monitor the implementation of the amended provisions in the Nairobi City County Finance Act, watching for the impact on the ground with the help of all the organisations she worked with for this campaign.

The victory in securing critical amendments to the bill led to further positive developments in Deborah’s patients’ rights campaign. Nguvu Collective staff in Kenya shared a press note about the victory also highlighting Deborah’s other campaign on patients’ rights. This led to media hits by Switch Media and on Citizen Digital News. Nguvu Collective is currently supporting her to secure a meeting with the Director General at the Ministry of Health and the CEO of the Kenya Health Professionals Oversight Authority (KHPOA).