Keep Reading
- Abortion in Afghanistan: 'My mother crushed my stomach with a stone'
- Why Gen Z is saying no to having children
"Today we are here to emphasise the issue of unsafe abortion," said Jolly Mukangu, Executive Director at Usawa Reproductive Health Association, which organised the football event.
"Almost 800,000 women procure abortions every year in Kenya, and the majority are young girls and adolescents. Those who cannot access safe services end up with lifelong complications of infertility and even death."
Usawa relies on sports and peer champions to create entry points for conversations around sexual and reproductive health.
According to Mukangu, poverty often drives girls into exchanging sex for sanitary pads, exposing them to disease and unplanned pregnancies.
Her organisation therefore creates safe spaces where girls receive mentorship, reproductive health information, and monthly sanitary supplies.
"We are urging the government and our partners to support us so that young people can make informed choices. When girls' lives are cut short or dreams shattered by teenage pregnancies, we all lose," she added.
National data underscore the urgency of the call for implementation of safety guidelines and post abortion care.
Ministry of Health statistics show that about 800,000 abortions occur annually, with unsafe procedures accounting for 7 per cent of maternal complications.
A recent study by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) further reveals that Kenya's maternal mortality rate stands at 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, with unsafe abortion among the major contributors.
"I do not see why women and girls needlessly lose their lives. Unsafe abortion is killing our women and girls, yet it is preventable," said Mickreen Adhiambo, program coordinator at the Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH).
For Faith Mbehero, a midwife and founder of Third Sector Builders, community-led strategies are essential to breaking the cycle.
"Teenage pregnancy is a big menace," Mbehero said.
"Fifteen per cent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are either pregnant or already mothers. Yet we don't even have proper data for girls aged 10 to 14. These young people are invisible in our statistics, and that is dangerous."
She added that silence around sexuality and reproductive health-both at home and in schools- leaves adolescents vulnerable.
She urged grassroots-level conversations and comprehensive sexuality education to empower young people to make informed decisions.
"An informed young person makes informed choices. Communities have stories, they have lived experiences, and they also have solutions. We must listen to them and support them," she said.
As the football matches wound down, reproductive health advocates agreed that their demands were simple but urgent: reduce stigma, expand safe services, and fully implement policies already in place.