The Ministry of Health, through its division of Reproductive and Maternal Health, is currently crafting advocacy messages aimed at enhancing young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.

Mr. Martin Mburu, a Senior Programs Officer within the division, has disclosed that these messages are undergoing pretesting.

They aim to tackle critical issues such as gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, as well as maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the nation.

Development of these messages commenced early last year, and they are presently being pretested in four counties: Siaya, Mombasa, Garissa, and Nairobi. Subsequently, they will be disseminated nationwide.

Addressing stakeholders at a forum in Siaya town, Mr. Mburu emphasized the focus on young people, recognizing their heightened vulnerability to adverse reproductive health outcomes.

Once the pretesting phase concludes and the messages are nationally deployed, they will also be translated into local languages to maximize outreach.

Ms. Gladys Kio, Executive Director of the African Gender and Media Initiative Trust, highlighted the imperative of improved communication strategies.

Despite the presence of adequate services and healthcare personnel, negative reproductive health outcomes persist.

Ms. Lorna Nyandat, Executive Director of Nyimine Empowerment CBO (NYECBO), underscored the suboptimal health-seeking behavior among young women, particularly in Siaya County. Such challenges are central to their advocacy efforts.

Ms. Pamela Josephine, Siaya County’s Reproductive Health Coordinator, outlined the primary objective of these advocacy messages: to encourage young people nationwide to actively seek out and utilize reproductive health services.