Cabinet Secretary Dr. Mailu,

Principal Secretary Dr. Muraguri,

Director of Medical Services Dr. Kioko,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning!

It is my pleasure to join you in marking an important day for family planning and reproductive health in Kenya, one on which we reaffirm the country’s commitment in these areas. 

As I was making my way here this morning, I thought about a recent trip I took to Siaya with some members of the U.S. Congress.  We met a family who told us how access to family planning had changed their lives.  With a new baby coming every year, the mother spent all her time taking care of the children and was unable to help with the farm.  Further, they had endured the tragedy of losing two other children in infancy. Soon after, a neighbor told them about family planning and encouraged them to visit a clinic to learn more. Going together, they received counseling and chose the injectable method. After nine months, side effects led them back to the clinic, where the wife chose an implant. Now they have four healthy children, the mother has time to work on the farm, and is able to sell produce in the market. Their kids go to school, and the house is happy again, all as a result of learning the health benefits of family planning and being able to choose the birth-control method right for them.

Examples like this happen across the country every day, and make USAID a proud partner of Kenya.  We have enjoyed this partnership for more than two decades.  Each year, USAID invests more than $20 million in family planning in Kenya. Increasing access to family planning improves health outcomes, economic growth, and overall development.  Results from the recent Kenya Demographic and Health Survey confirm these facts.

I congratulate Kenya on receiving the 2016 Excellence in Leadership for Family Planning (EXCELL) Country Award at the International Conference on Family Planning in January. Winning this award speaks volumes about the Kenyan commitment to women and children. Kenya has created an enabling environment for improving maternal and child health, demonstrated by such policies as the Free Maternity Policy, the Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy, and by establishing family planning as a fundamental right in the 2010 constitution.

As we celebrate Kenya’s tremendous achievements in family planning, we also recognize much work remains to be done. We can’t afford to lose the gains we have made so far, and together we must make advocating for increased government financing for family planning a priority moving forward. There is also much to be done to improve equity of services, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized people in Kenyan society. This award can serve as an impetus to reach EVERY woman with family planning services, regardless of where she lives, her education level or socioeconomic status. This sentiment is echoed in the new Sustainable Development Goals, which place the health of newborns, children, mothers and young people at the heart of human development.

As we work together toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, which are guided by the principles of gender equality and women’s empowerment, USAID will continue to support Kenya to achieve its health and development goals.

Thank you.