For years Jackline Chege has been busy at Olulung’a Sub County Hospital in Narok South Sub-County, she has been a gatekeeper of autonomy, helping women from the Maasai community space their children and take charge of their futures.

But lately, the shelves behind her are bare. The injectables, the most popular method for women seeking the services in secret, are gone.

The implants are arriving in fractions.

Kenya is currently standing at a perilous reproductive crossroads; after nearly two decades of remarkable progress, where modern contraceptive use among married women climbed to over 65%, a “perfect storm” of funding cuts and supply chain disruptions is threatening to undo a generation of gains.

By 2026, the projected effects of this shortage are no longer just statistics; they are impending life-altering events.

Experts warn that as donor funding plummets and international supply lines are severed, over 6 million women across Kenya could be left without access to family planning services.

The immediate fallout is predictable but devastating: a sharp rise in unintended pregnancies.

For a young girl in a rural village or a mother in a crowded urban settlement, the absence of a simple shot or a small implant can mean the difference between staying in school and dropping out, or between economic stability and deep poverty.

Ripple effect

The shortage triggers a dangerous effect, without reliable contraception, the rate of unsafe abortions is projected to spike.

In Kenya, where complications from backstreet procedures already claim thousands of lives annually, this shortage is a death sentence for the most vulnerable.

Furthermore, maternal mortality, which Kenya had successfully been driving down, according to the statistics from the ministry of health, is at risk of a tragic rebound.

When women cannot space their births, the physical toll on their bodies increases, leading to higher risks of sepsis, hemorrhage, and neonatal complications.

The Burden on the Youth

The crisis hits adolescents the hardest. With teenage pregnancy rates already a national concern, the “stockouts” at public clinics drive young girls toward expensive private pharmacies they cannot afford, or worse, toward no protection at all.

This derails dreams, fuels the cycle of poverty, and places an immense burden on an already strained healthcare system.

The silence of an empty medicine cabinet in this rural clinic is, in reality, a deafening alarm.

“Unless domestic funding is mobilized to bridge the gap left by retreating international donors, the ‘silent crisis’ of 2026 will become a loud, public tragedy for Kenyan families,” says Ms Chege.

She adds, “The crisis is real. Imagine the number of young girls who have been depending on the contraceptives to avoid pregnancy.”

Condoms, that have been essential in reducing the spread of HIV and pregnancies is also reportedly missing in the shelves.

According to Victor Omondi, from Homa Bay County Referral Hospital, the last supply of the male condoms was done seven months ago; they have been used up.

“This is a crisis, especially on the spread of HIV among the adolescents; in schools and colleges,” laments Omondi.