Kilifi is one of the counties in Kenya that is recording significant progress in terms of adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health and rights. The coastal county offers free adolescent and youth friendly SRHR services in public facilities despite the low uptake by the adolescents and youth who prefer private facilities due to convenience of accessing the services.

According to Kenneth Miriti, the County Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Coordinator, Kilifi has had an ASRHR docket for the last one and a half years that guides Adolescent and Young Persons service provision by ensuring there are platforms to meaningfully engage the youth and have their voices heard and considered.

Speaking during a webinar to mark World Contraception Day 2020, Mr. Miriti noted that currently, there are 3 models for youth friendly service delivery in Kilifi County i.e.:

• The Youth centre based model that has seen four youth centres in Kilifi renovated and fully equipped with internet infrastructure
• The Facility Based model that focuses on changing the mind sets of the health care providers to ensure that they are able to offer adolescent and youth friendly SRHR services. So far 230 health care workers have been trained using the AYSRHR curriculum and,
• The Virtual model that allows AYPs to access AYSRHR services remotely

The webinar hosted by the Amref Faya project also revealed that the tracking of family planning services in Kilifi have been extended from health facilities to chemists through partners such as Kenya Pharmaceutical Association. This is due to the fact that pharmacists are now considered service providers as per the national guidelines in a bid to ensure that there is more data on family planning access at the county level.  In addition, Kilifi has learned to tweak interventions brought about by several partners present in the County to fit the socio cultural backgrounds thus the notable progress in terms of AYSRHR service provision and uptake.

Mr. Miriti recommends that all healthcare workers should be trained on long acting methods of family planning as well as take refresher courses on emerging technology to be able to serve AYPs better. Lastly, he noted that there is a need for responsive family planning programmes for adolescent mothers in the County, to create an enabling environment for them to access FP services and thus prevent subsequent pregnancies.

To listen to the webinar discussion click here.