The ministry of health continues to struggle with getting males to use family planning.
Less than 500 males received vasectomy procedures in the most recent reporting year, compared to more over five million men, according to data provided by the ministry.
The government has recognised that, despite their small numbers, males continue to play an important role in communal decision-making within the context of the family, and as a result, their position in family planning is still highly important.
Many women are unable to get the family planning methods they want because they have not had dialogues with their husbands and other close male partners, according to Dr. Andrew Mulwa, head of preventive and promotive health at the ministry.
And because ladies don’t want the man to witness them eating anything, they choose for short-term solutions like injectables that last for three months. The man is probably going to know if they install the implant,” Mulwa added.
As a result, the majority of women choose short-term contraceptives, putting them at risk for long-term negative effects like loss of bone mass from prolonged use.
“We must find champion men. The younger man, who needs to be involved, is the reality of our population today, and that should be the focus, he said.
“The families that need family planning the most are those headed by young males between the ages of 20 and 35,”
Using data from the ministry, it can be seen that adoption of family planning has increased from 51.9% in 2020 to 52.0% at the moment.
The uptake among adults and children between the ages of 10 and 14 is 10,835; among those between the ages of 15 and 19 it is 443,471; and among those between the ages of 20 and 24 it is little over 1.2 million.
