Women’s Collective Kenya Calls for Urgent Reforms on Access to Safe Abortion

Women’s Collective Kenya has urged the government to remove legal and policy barriers that hinder access to safe abortion, warning that restrictive laws are putting the lives of women and girls at risk.

Speaking during the commemoration of International Safe Abortion Day in Nairobi on Sunday, the organization’s director, Ruth Mumbi, said abortion must be recognized as essential healthcare and a fundamental human right.

“We stand in solidarity with women and adolescent girls across the country. Access to safe abortion is not just a health issue—it is a human rights issue,” Mumbi said.

She added that Kenya’s restrictive legal framework, including sections of the Penal Code that criminalize abortion, creates fear among healthcare providers and denies women their constitutional rights.

“Article 26 of the Constitution permits abortion in certain cases, yet a blanket criminalization continues to deny women their rights,” Mumbi noted.

A report by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the Ministry of Health, and the Guttmacher Institute shows Kenya recorded about 792,000 induced abortions in 2023, with more than 300,000 women seeking post-abortion care.

According to Veronicah Wanjiru, many women initially attempt unsafe methods such as ingesting harmful substances or using sharp objects before turning to medical abortion pills from pharmacies or clinics.

“These unsafe practices expose women and girls to severe complications, coma, or even death,” she said.

The organization is calling on Parliament to repeal restrictive laws, align national policy with the Maputo Protocol, expand the cadre of health workers allowed to provide abortion services, and intensify education to eliminate stigma.