In September, the Trump administration told the New York Times that the contraceptives had been incinerated at a French facility that handles medical waste. Belgian authorities disputed this days later, saying they had entered one of the known warehouses and seen that the contraceptives were still there.
Despite the lived experiences of Njeri and others in Ruaraka, the National Family Planning Programme manager at Kenya’s Ministry of Health, Dr Albert Ndwiga, claimed “there is no immediate risk” from scrapping USAID because the Kenyan government has put in place measures to remedy the situation.
Ndwiga said a health ministry committee has formulated a policy brief in response to the cuts, after finding that Kenya’s health systems have been overreliant on donor funds. Its long-term plan to fix this involves building “local ownership, diversifying funding sources and strengthening both administrative and technological capacities”.
The ministry has received a special allocation from the national budget to meet contraception needs in the short term, along with “the remnant support” from the United Nations Population Fund, which supports sexual and reproductive health programmes in Kenya. Neither the government nor the ministry has said how much this allocation is.
The ministry is now awaiting additional financing from the state for a long-term solution, although it is not clear when this might be delivered. The committee has recommended that any future funding be spent on “investment in local manufacturing of essential drugs and health commodities, expansion of social health insurance benefits towards coverage of critical conditions and commodities and restructuring of key health human resources and service delivery systems to rebuild capacity and restore resilience in Kenya’s public health sector”.
But experts such as the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance, a consortium of civil society organisations that support young people, women and marginalised groups in Kenya, have suggested the government is ill-prepared to deliver these proposals.
The alliance was among stakeholders invited to a meeting by the Ministry of Health to discuss the policy recommendations in September. Ramwaka Nyadzuwa, the organisation’s communications and youth engagement officer, described the proposals as well-considered interventions that could “significantly strengthen the health system if fully implemented” but said the government is still unequipped to adopt them due to its lack of domestic financing.
In her opinion, a solid policy framework alone is insignificant. To address the gaps created by the USAID funding cuts, there must be dedicated financing and political will to see it through, she said.
“While the government has shown willingness on paper, translating these commitments into action requires sustained funding, clear budget allocations, and consistent follow-through. Without adequate domestic investment, progress on local manufacturing, expanding insurance coverage and restructuring human resources may remain slow or uneven,” said Nyadzuwa.
Although governments must play a pivotal role, they alone cannot resolve the problems caused by the dismantling of USAID-funded services, according to Mallah Tabot, the sexual and reproductive rights and health lead at the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa.
Tabot described the US’s planned destruction of contraceptives as “another indefensible man-made and senseless act based on a dangerous ideology, which is taking advantage of political power to control how people plan their families”. She believes that this is a critical moment that calls for global solidarity in coming up with solutions and for African governments and partners to reimagine financing for reproductive health.
Tabot said there’s already promising movement in creating solutions within some African countries. This includes impact investing – investments intended to generate positive, measurable social impact alongside a financial return and blended finance models, which attract private capital into public health delivery, whether through social impact bonds, contraceptive supply-chain financing, or partnerships with local manufacturers.
“Of course, the government is crucial to creating solutions, but so are other partners like the United Nations and other donors. IPPF is supporting member associations and working closely with other partners to make this happen while also pushing for the withheld contraceptives to be released. Finding sustainable solutions to manage contraceptive shortages requires shared responsibility and renewed global solidarity,” Tabot said.
Ultimately, the idea is to shift from politics of dependency to politics of shared responsibility, where women’s health and rights are protected and recognised as non-negotiable by governments and societies, she said. But while there is some optimism for the future, Tabot admitted that, regardless of any government intervention, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.
“I think when 2026 comes, we will see the impact, which unfortunately translates to increased mortality and morbidity, especially for African women and girls,” said Tabot.
