Saving Kenya's Environment Through Family Planning

The motor mobile team had travelled over 300 kms to reach the Ndoto Mts. in Samburu from its base clinic located in Mpala Ranch, Laikipia County.

Like a lone ranger on these harsh plains whose vast landscape is punctuated by jagged rocky peaks, insecurity land degradation and general poverty, the mobile clinic is the only kind of health care these transient people of this marginalized area will possibly know for months. The agony and suffering in the land is almost visible —despite the panoramic beauty of the Ndoto mountain range in the near distance.

Pastoralist communities living here include the paternalistic Samburu, Rendille, and Turkana tribes, whom are plagued by entrenched & dangerous traditional practices- and poverty exasperated by overpopulation, with most girls and women experiencing numerous unwanted pregnancies which have horrific consequences.

Along the way to this community I had espied the driver Peter, honking his horn alerting everyone he meets in the area – informing the scattered communities that the clinics ‘yellow land rover’ has finally arrived. The mobile clinic provides integrated health services with a focus on proving underserved & poor communities access to an innovative holistic family planning service that includes a strong component of ecological awareness; however HIV/AIDS counselling and testing, referrals for anti-retroviral treatment (ARVs), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), treatment of opportunistic infections (OI), treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), condom distribution, prevention of transmission with positives (PwP), basic curatives – and TB defaulter tracing & identification of new smear positives are also provided providing important ‘entry points to family planning services.

Along the road we had chanced upon a jolly phalanx of young morans ‘warriors’ who had stood in the middle of the road, forcing. The vehicle to stop –and demanded ‘biscuits’ from the driver. Characteristically, Peter, with his usual broad smile happily handed them boxes of condoms – otherwise referred to as ‘cookies’.
These women, who continue to bear the brunt of a paternalistic society, while experiencing entrenched oppressive traditions that have included infanticide, unsafe abortions, FGM, economic inequality and forced child marriages, shared with me the following story-

‘I have suffered going through three painful forced infanticides. After I got pregnant as a teenager at 15, three older women came to our manyatta’ (homestead) and took me away into the bush where one held my neck like a vice, while the other two pummelled crushing my baby in my womb’ says Jane*. I almost bled to death. After the third abortion I ran away from home only to be returned and married off to a man old enough to be my father’ she adds amid sobs as she cuddles her four day old baby.

Jane had arrived at the clinic for a long-term family planning option after she learned about CHAT from a local FPCORPs mobiliser, Sub-chief George Martin, who has worked with CHAT for over ten years as a FPCORPs and HIV counselor & tester.

Her old Samburu husband has another wife with 7 children—all who suffer malnutrition, a clear indication that he can’t afford to take care of his large, polygamous family of 12. Currently, Jane has been trained by CHAT as a FPCORP-mobilizer and works alongside CHAT providing door to door mobilization for family planning and ecological sensitization services to her community and their surroundings.

Other women narrated to me harrowing tales of infanticide, endless unsafe abortions, traumatic FGM practices, kidnapping and wanton rapes on these plains whose government presence is minimal.

“A GSU camp at Baragoi and an AP post is all you see of ‘government’ “– I was told by a community member.”