A delegation of eight UK Parliamentarians has concluded a successful four-day study tour to Kenya, organised by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in partnership with UNFPA, MSI Reproductive Choices, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
The tour, held from April 9th to 12th, April 2025, provided an in-depth look at Kenya’s sexual and reproductive health and rights landscape, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges in ensuring universal access to family planning, reducing teen pregnancies, HIV prevention, and addressing gender-based violence, including Female Genital Mutilation.
During the study tour, the delegation met with Hon. Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Health, who highlighted Kenya’s priorities in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, including reducing maternal mortalities, ensuring uninterrupted supply of family planning commodities, tackling teenage pregnancy and HIV among young people, and strengthening community health systems.
The members of parliament also engaged with key stakeholders, including healthcare workers, civil society advocates, members of parliament, and youth-led organizations, to understand their perspectives and concerns in the current global context.
The team visited health facilities offering maternal health and family planning services in Nairobi and Homa Bay and programmes supported by the UK government, UNFPA, MSI, and IPPF, which offered firsthand insights into the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services in Kenya.
“The work that partners are doing on the ground in Kenya is inspiring and will no doubt have an impact on not just the health of women and girls but on the economy too. From my experience, when we lift up women and girls, everyone benefits,” said Labour MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages, and delegation lead, Ms. Leigh Ingham.
Key issues emerging from the study tour included the critical role of adequate national budget allocations for sexual and reproductive health and rights, health sector reforms, and the need for continued multi-lateral support.
The delegation committed to raising awareness of these issues in the UK Parliament and advocating for stronger global partnerships to advance sexual and reproductive health.
“The United Kingdom is a longstanding partner of UNFPA and a leading donor, supporting women and girls and those left furthest behind,” said Anders Thomsen, UNFPA Representative in Kenya.
“Such partnerships are important for continuing to make a positive impact in local communities. We appreciate the commitment of the UK Parliamentarians in advocating for global support to sexual and reproductive health and rights, and we thank them for choosing Kenya as the destination for their study tour.”
