As Kenya sprints toward achieving universal health coverage, the voices of women and girls, often unheard in policy halls, are now taking center stage, revealing urgent truths about what health and well-being truly mean to them.
A groundbreaking national survey titled “In HER Lifetime,” led by White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Kenya, captured the hopes, fears and deep yearnings of more than 97,000 women and girls across 44 counties. And their message is clear: Health is not just about surviving childbirth. It’s about living a full, dignified life.
Through thousands of candid responses, the women and girls painted a picture of health that goes far beyond reproductive care. They spoke of being physically strong and mentally at peace, of having food on the table, access to medicine, and being treated with respect when they seek care.
From adolescent girls seeking menstrual hygiene, food and education, to older women yearning for mental wellness, financial stability and accessible diagnostics... The responses reflect a wide spectrum of needs rooted in everyday survival.
One voice from Bungoma County echoed a shared sentiment: “Health isn’t just the absence of disease, it’s about how we are treated when we seek help, the peace of our minds and whether we can afford to live healthy.”
Among the most common demands were access to screening and diagnostics for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, epilepsy and cancer, conditions many said remain unaddressed due to lack of equipment, medicines or basic knowledge.
Young mothers and girls, especially, cried out for mental health support. Many pointed to trauma, stress, and emotional struggles for which they have nowhere to turn. Counseling, they said, isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
But the report also lays bare the barriers women face: disrespectful maternity care, discrimination in health facilities, broken referral systems and widespread lack of trust in the public health system.
And through it all, one truth cuts across all ages and counties, self-care is not indulgence, it is survival. Whether it’s maintaining hygiene, eating well, finding peace of mind or simply having a private space to cry and be heard, these small, deeply human needs are what women and girls define as care.
The campaign’s findings are now being used to demand change. WRA Kenya is urging policymakers, donors, and health agencies to listen and act. Key recommendations include investing in community-level diagnostic tools, embedding mental health in basic health services, integrating self-care education in schools, and designing age-specific health programs that serve a girl, a mother and a grandmother alike.
For too long, health programming has viewed women through the narrow lens of reproduction. But Kenya’s women are calling for something more radical, more humane: lifelong, dignified, person-centered care.
This isn’t just a report. It’s a rallying cry. A reminder that behind every statistic is a woman seeking not just to live, but to live well.
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