A Sh18.2 billion State project, which aims to procure family planning and reproductive health commodities, has received only 17.85 percent financing nearly 12 years after it kicked off, amid concerns about contraceptive shortages in Kenya.
An analysis by the Controller of Budget, Margaret Nyakang’o, showed that the project, which began on August 13, 2014, had only realised a cumulative expenditure of Sh3.25 billion as of June 30, 2026 against the budgeted Sh18.2billion.
The project, scheduled to end on August 13, 2028, was allocated Sh500 million by the government for the 2025/26 financial year.
“However, a number of projects exhibited low implementation despite having been initiated several years ago. In particular, the Procurement of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Commodities project, which commenced in August 2014, was only 18 percent complete,’ Dr Nyakang’o said.
This slow implementation comes amid concerns about the availability of contraceptives in public health facilities.
Earlier, nominated senator Tabitha Mutinda told the Senate that several family planning commodities had reached zero national stock levels, including combined oral contraceptive pills, three-month injectables, progesterone-only pills, emergency contraceptive pills, and cycle beads.
Implants, male condoms and intrauterine devices were also reported to be at critically low levels or below optimal supply levels.
Ms Mutinda said that the estimated funding requirement for family planning commodities was approximately Sh3 billion.
‘If cash disbursement is not effected against the issued Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) before the end of the financial year, the Sh520 million allocation will lapse back to the Treasury. The procurement window will be lost entirely, and Kenya will enter the 2026/27 financial year with zero stock and zero pipeline,’ she said.
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the number of clients receiving various contraceptive methods at health facilities decreased between 2024 and 2025.
The number of new clients receiving family planning injections fell by 10.9 percent, from 692,850 to 617,553, and revisits declined by 8.6 percent, from 2.56 million to 2.34 million.
The number of people receiving combined oral contraceptive pills fell by 29.9 percent, from 294,172 to 206,240, while the number of people revisiting fell by 22.7 percent, from 498,506 to 385,586.
Meanwhile, the number of clients using male condoms fell by 20 percent, from 638,043 to 510,173, and the number of clients using female condoms decreased by 34.7 percent, from 25,673 to 16,760.
During this period, new clients receiving contraceptive implants decreased by three percent, from 713,784 to 692,212, though revisits increased from 328,817 to 336,719.
The US funding disruption has put additional pressure on family planning programmes that were already facing supply and financing challenges.
In January 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending foreign aid pending a review of whether programmes aligned with his administration’s priorities. This disrupted health programmes funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), a major provider of contraceptives to developing countries.
This left approximately $9.7 million (Sh1.25 billion) worth of contraceptives, including pills, implants, and intrauterine devices, stranded in a warehouse in Belgium.
A significant proportion of these supplies were intended for distribution to African countries, including Kenya. Most of the stock has since become unusable due to delays and inadequate storage.
In June 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Congress that the US government would no longer be involved in the global distribution of contraceptives.