Mombasa, Kilifi Counties Urged to Boost Budget for RH and PWD’s
Manager of a project We Lead Ms Sophie Pwani addressing participants at the forum.. (Photo By Harrison Kivisu)
By Harrison Kivisu
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Health sector players have urged Kilifi and Mombasa counties to increase budgets for People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) and that of Universal Health Care (UHC) for them.
Dream Achievers Youth Organization (DAYO) and Stretchers Youth Organization have equally appealed for more funding to reproductive health activities in both Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
Speaking jointly in Kilifi on Wednesday of June 11, 2025, the organizations, who are key implementers of the ‘We Lead’ project, recommended for sustained efforts towards advancing rights of PWDS and their access to reproductive health services (SRHR).
Manager of a project called We Lead Ms Sophie Pwani said the implementation of the project spells steps towards implementing laws, policies and practices that respect and protect young women.
“We Lead’ is a far-reaching program that truly puts girls and young women in the driving seat as rights holders whereby we support them with sustainable advocacy for their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR),”said Pwani.
Ms Pwani added that young women with disabilities have undergone mentorship sessions, and they were empowered economically and socially to speak and advocate for their rights without fear.
“We ask the counties to put more money for rehabilitation services, and also ensure budget lines that ensure disability mainstreaming so that none is discriminated and left out in most important activities,“ said Pwani.
Therefore, Pwani wants the 2025-26 County budget to prioritize disability mainstreaming, empowerment of caregivers of children with disabilities, and rehabilitation services for PWDs.
“We have trained healthcare workers and also undertaken a community scorecard to ensure that the health service providers have a good attitude towards persons living with disability when they seek services,” she added.
Kilifi county chief officer Gender and social services Fredric Nguma said the county government is investing heavily to advance the rights of PWDs, young mothers and reproductive health programs.
“We are putting all these activities in the 2025-2026 budget so that we can advance the youth, PWDs and marginalized activities within Kilifi county,”said Nguma adding that the county is also suppressing teenage pregnancies through enforcements against Disco-Matangas.
In Kilifi, where a number of adolescent and young women among them those with disability have fallen prey to unwanted pregnancies and sexual and gender based violence vices, the officer calls for collective responsibility.
“We are witnessing reduced cases of teenage pregnancies due to the extensive activities and programs we have rolled out alongside DAYO and other organizations that we are undertaking as a couty.We are not going to relent on this matter because it’s our obligation.
This happens as the Centre for the Study of Adolescence Monitoring and evaluation programs officer Graphic Nyakity commended efforts by DAYO to agitate for the Health rights of Young women with disability in Kilifi county.
On her part, Stretchers Youth Organization project officer Mary Wasike said the program ran from 2021 to 2025, and focused on strengthening the influence and position of young women whose sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are too often ignored. The most vulnerable are those living with HIV and disabilities, those displaced, and those facing various forms of vulnerability.
“Over the past five years, this program created safe, inclusive spaces where adolescent girls and young women could raise their voices, take up leadership, and advocate for their rights in their communities, schools, and beyond. We’ve witnessed them break barriers, challenge stigma, and spark real change,” said Wasike.
The overall objective of We Lead is to ensure that by the end of 2025, resilient young women with disabilities, living with HIV among other actors, are empowered.
The project is implemented in nine countries across three continents: Lebanon, Jordan, Niger, Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Guatemala and Honduras. The target women are drawn from four categories namely young women with disability, young women living with HIV, young women affected by displacement and young women.
The Kenyan We Lead consists of Dream Achievers Youth Organization (DAYO) and twelve (12) other grass root organizations that are either led by the target groups in various counties across Kenya to enhance their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
