The Constitution, under 43(1)(a), grants every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, including access to healthcare services such as reproductive health care.
However, this right may not be fully realized if the national government, through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), proceeds with its plan to introduce a temporary ID for pregnant teenagers and implement means testing to determine the amount they will pay for SHIF.
Previously, pregnant teenagers could access the same services using their parents' cards, which meant they didn't have to pay.
In 2022, the teenage pregnancy rate for women aged 15-19 in Kenya was 14.8 per cent excluding 13 and 14-year-olds, for whom data was either unavailable or not included.
