KAPENGURIA – West Pokot County has partnered with key health organizations to launch a comprehensive five-year initiative aimed at curbing teenage pregnancies, female genital mutilation (FGM), and early child marriages across all sub-counties. The county administration finalized the strategic agreement with the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) and the Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) during a high-level consultative meeting held in Kapenguria.
The multi-agency program, named the HER Health Initiative, seeks to expand healthcare access and protect the rights of adolescent girls and young women in the region. Speaking during the meeting, West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin highlighted the urgent need for a unified approach to eliminate deep-rooted social and health challenges that continue to affect the county’s youth.
“We are still battling with FGM, teenage pregnancies, and early childhood marriages among other retrogressive practices,” Governor Kachapin stated. He emphasized that the county government cannot solve these issues in isolation, calling for structured collaboration among national agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, and local communities to achieve measurable reductions in these harmful practices.
The initiative will operate concurrently with the HER Health Happens Here campaign to establish responsive health frameworks at every level of governance. Led by NCPD Deputy Director of Public Education and Advocacy Fidelis Ndung’u and delegates from RHNK, the partner organizations will align county-level actions with national health policies to maximize impact across local health facilities.
At the clinical level, the program will upgrade health centers to ensure they deliver inclusive, confidential, and youth-friendly reproductive health services. Simultaneously, the initiative will mobilize public health officers, grassroots youth champions, and community leaders to challenge harmful cultural norms and improve public awareness around reproductive health.
The primary objective of the five-year roadmap is to boost West Pokot’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) metrics. By focusing on maternal health, antenatal care, adolescent wellness, and child survival rates, the partnership aims to create lasting, positive health outcomes for young women across the county.
