Health experts and stakeholders emphasize the importance of highlighting adolescent health challenges affecting young people in Kenya. [File, Standard]
Health experts are calling for greater inclusion of young people in policies and conversations addressing the triple threat of HIV, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence (GBV), warning that the crises continue to disproportionately affect adolescents and youth across Kenya and the wider African continent.
Speaking during the launch of the 9th Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) Conference in Nairobi, the experts stressed that young people must be placed at the centre of decision-making, arguing that sustainable solutions cannot be achieved without their direct involvement.
“We get solutions from the young people. They are the ones who hold the solutions,” said Dr Jacqueline Kisia, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health at the Ministry of Health.
The calls come amid a contraceptive shortage, with counties such as Mandera and Wajir reporting critical stock-outs that health officials say are worsening the triple burden among adolescents and young people.
