Kenya’s battle against sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies faces a new hurdle as condom use continues to plummet across the country.
A recent survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reveals a steady decline in condom uptake through 2025, sparking fears of increased exposure to unprotected sex. Data suggests that many users are moving away from barrier methods in favor of long-term contraceptives like implants.
The report tracks a consistent downward trend for both male and female condoms since 2023. Male condom use, for instance, fell to 510,173 users in 2025, a significant drop from 638,043 in 2024 and 721,857 in 2023. Female condoms saw an even steeper decline, crashing to just 16,760 users in 2025 from a high of 68,403 only two years prior.
As the KNBS report notes: “Most contraceptive methods recorded declines during the review period.”
The dwindling use of condoms isn’t an isolated trend; it mirrors a wider retreat from several traditional family planning methods across Kenya. The latest data reveals that even the most common options are losing ground. For instance, the uptake of contraceptive injections, long a staple in Kenyan households, fell by 10.9% among new clients and 8.6% for those returning for follow-up appointments.
Oral contraceptives took an even harder hit. The number of new clients opting for combined pills plummeted by nearly 30%, while repeat visits dropped by over 22%.
The KNBS report highlights this shift, noting, “The uptake of combined oral contraceptive pills declined by 29.9 percent for new clients and 22.7 percent for revisits.”
In contrast to the sharp decline in pills and barrier methods, implants have maintained their status as a preferred choice for women seeking long-term birth control. Although the number of new implant users…
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Read Full Article by Richard Kamau at nairobiwire.com
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