Kenyan women and girls voice health and well-being demands in a groundbreaking exercise

As Kenya races toward achieving universal health coverage, a national initiative has shed new light on the real health and well-being priorities of women and girls in Kenya, revealing that they seek much more than reproductive care.

A survey that saw over 97,000 women and girls across 44 counties respond emphasizes a broader, user-centered understanding of health, well-being, and self-care.

The “In HER Lifetime” spearheaded by White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Kenya saw participants provide responses to questions about how they define health and well-being, what they want for their health, and what self-care means to them.

Among the most cited definitions were being physically and mentally fit, having access to good nutrition, living free of disease, and maintaining a peaceful mind.

While adolescents focused on basic needs such as food, hygiene, and education, older women prioritized economic stability, mental health, and access to quality healthcare.

Women aged 31–50 notably emphasized financial stability, proper nutrition, and peace of mind as core aspects of their well-being.

One of the most consistent demands was access to diagnostics and screening for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, anemia, epilepsy, and cancer.

Many participants lamented the lack of medicines for chronic conditions and the shortage of information on how to manage them.

Psychological and mental health support also emerged as a pressing concern with the respondents, especially adolescent mothers and young girls pointing to an urgent need for counseling services and mental health interventions that address trauma, stress, and emotional resilience.

Moreover, participants raised concerns over poor healthcare delivery, discriminatory practices, lack of emergency referral systems, and disrespectful maternity care which they flagged as widespread issues that hinder access and confidence in public health services.

“Health isn’t just the absence of disease, it’s also about how we are treated when we seek help, the peace of our minds, and whether we can afford to live healthy,” said one respondent from Bungoma County.

A key insight from the exercise is that women and girls desire healthcare that goes beyond maternal and reproductive health.

They want comprehensive, lifelong care that supports mental health, emotional wellness, physical fitness, and nutritional balance.

WRA Kenya is thereby calling on policymakers, funders, and health programmers to respond to these voices.

They recommended investment in diagnostic tools at the community level, integrating health literacy and self-care education into schools, and designing tailored programs for different age brackets.

“Health programming has for too long been centered around childbirth alone but a 16-year-old girl, a 35-year-old mother, and a 70-year-old grandmother all have unique needs that demand attention and policy,” the report indicated in its recommendations.

Women and girls repeatedly highlighted self-care as central to their well-being, not a luxury, but a right.

For many, self-care meant taking good care of their bodies, maintaining hygiene, avoiding stress, eating well, and having access to confidential counseling.

The campaign is rooted for national self-care awareness campaigns, more community-based mental health services, and stronger inclusion of self-care topics in education and healthcare settings.

The findings provide a data-rich roadmap for governments, civil society, and development partners aiming to advance women’s health rights in Kenya.

Among the major policy recommendations are embedding diagnostics in primary health care services, recognizing mental health as part of mainstream healthcare, designing health interventions that reflect age-specific and context-sensitive needs and ensuring access to survival essentials like clean water, nutritious food, and emergency transport.

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