Ab
Last week, quack doctor Mugo wa Wairimu was arrested in Gachie by flying squad. Mugo is facing charges of conducting illegal abortions, rape among others.
But how comes that such a pimp, could have so many clients? Would the story have been different, if women were allowed access to secure abortions?
In Kenya, one in every four women has had an abortion. Another study shows that of the women who had severe complications after abortions, 45 per cent were teenagers.
The estimates comprise those reported within the healthcare system, so the number could be much higher. An estimated 2,600 women die from unsafe abortions annually. This works out to an estimated seven women and girls dying every day, making unsafe abortions one of the major causes of maternal deaths in Kenya today.
Kenya is currently facing an alarming public health crisis in the number of unsafe abortions that have remained unreported for the most part due to the attendant stigma and emotive nature of the abortion issue. Many women and girls in Kenya are losing their lives as they resort to unsafe abortion practices.
Research shows young people living in urban slums are at significant risk of early unplanned pregnancies. A study by the African Population and Health Research Centre in 2012 showed, for example, that in Nairobi’s urban slums, 116 out of every 1,000 girls between 15 and 19 had given birth.
Half of these births were unplanned. And although 50 per cent of the 15- to 19-year-old women had started sexual activity, only 35 per cent were using any method of contraception.
Safe abortions at clinics can cost about Sh20,000, whereas unsafe abortions are roughly a tenth of that price and payments can be made in installments. It is not uncommon for household goods, such as televisions, to be included in those payments.
Adolescent sexual behaviour has been the subject of a number of recent discussions in the Kenyan media. These discussions have centred on declining moral standards, poor parenting, and a general “blame game” around who bears the responsibility for precocious sexual activity among Kenya’s young people.
The social stigma around abortion and lack of service delivery policies is pushing women to resort to quacks (backstreet or untrained providers). Further to this, the legal provisions seem not to be fully understood.