Health experts are calling for greater inclusion of young people in policies and conversations addressing the triple threat of HIV, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence (GBV), warning that the crises continue to disproportionately affect adolescents and youth across Kenya and the wider African continent.
Speaking during the launch of the 9th Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) Conference in Nairobi, the experts stressed that young people must be placed at the centre of decision-making, arguing that sustainable solutions cannot be achieved without their direct involvement.
“We get solutions from the young people. They are the ones who hold the solutions,” said Dr Jacqueline Kisia, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health at the Ministry of Health.
The calls come amid a contraceptive shortage, with counties such as Mandera and Wajir reporting critical stock-outs that health officials say are worsening the triple burden among adolescents and young people.
Access to sexual and reproductive health services remains a major challenge in several hard-hit regions, a situation experts warn is contributing to rising mental health concerns among young people.
“We have seen a lot of suicide and mental health issues. We know that HIV, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence are also related to mental health. When a young girl is diagnosed with HIV, she will definitely be affected,” Dr Kisia said.
Kenya is already recording a worrying rise in teenage pregnancies. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2026, the country recorded more than 232,000 teenage pregnancies in 2025, up from about 224,000 the previous year.
The increase is particularly alarming among girls aged 10 to 14, with more than 11,600 cases reported. Nairobi County recorded the highest number of teenage pregnancies, followed by Kakamega County and Nakuru County.
Health experts warn that the rise in teenage pregnancies is closely linked to increasing vulnerability to HIV infections among adolescents and young women. Latest data from the Ministry of Health and the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council shows that young people aged 15 to 24 account for about 41 per cent of new HIV infections in the country.
Girls and young women remain the most affected due to poverty, gender inequality, limited access to reproductive health services, and early sexual debut. UNFPA data indicates that more than 7,300 new HIV infections have been recorded among adolescents and young people in recent years, with estimates showing that one in every six Kenyan girls aged 15 to 19 has been pregnant or is already a mother.
Dr Richard Amenyah, UNAIDS Representative and Multi-Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan, warned that societies have normalised alarming levels of adolescent pregnancy and sexual violence.
“Triple threat is a structural crisis facing adolescent girls and young women across Africa. Poverty, inequality, violence and lack of access to education continue to expose young girls to HIV infections, early pregnancies and gender-based violence,” he said.
He noted that about 50 adolescent girls in Kenya acquire HIV every week, while close to 644,000 adolescent pregnancies are recorded annually. Across Africa, around 3,100 young girls acquire HIV weekly—nearly three times higher than boys.
“HIV has the face of a young girl and a young woman on this continent,” he said.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls remain significantly more vulnerable to HIV infection than boys, according to UNICEF and UNAIDS data.
Dr Amenyah added that investing in young people is critical to Africa’s future, noting that by 2050, one in every three people globally will be an adolescent from Africa.
He said keeping girls in school remains one of the strongest protective factors against HIV and teenage pregnancy, adding: “The longer a girl stays in school, the lower her risk of getting pregnant or acquiring HIV.”
Executive Director of Reproductive Health Network Kenya, Nelly Munyasia, said consent remains a major barrier preventing adolescents from accessing reproductive health services.
She noted that many adolescents are denied services due to lack of parental or guardian consent, even in cases where such support structures do not exist.
Some, she added, come from child-headed households or live with elderly caregivers, making access to healthcare even more difficult, while others are pushed into transactional sex due to poverty.
To address these challenges, RHNK and partners have developed a continent-wide framework on the age of consent, drawing input from healthcare workers, policymakers, judicial officers, and young people.
The document, set to be launched during the conference in Mombasa, is expected to guide policy decisions and improve access to youth-friendly services across Africa.
“This is not just another conference where people come to talk. We are finding solutions, not only for Kenya, but for the entire African continent,” Munyasia said.
The conference brings together policymakers, researchers, civil society, youth activists, and development partners to develop practical solutions to adolescent reproductive health challenges, with a focus on strengthening youth-friendly services and inclusion in policy processes.
