SRHR Alliance

This week, the SRHR Alliance had the profound honor of standing beside young people from Airbase Ward in Kamukunji as they publicly declared what we’ve known for too long — that silence and delay in addressing their sexual and reproductive health and rights are costing lives, dreams, and futures.

In a press briefing held this morning, the youth, through the powerful voices of Fikra Moja Youth Group, read a statement that shook the air with truth and urgency. They called out decades of systemic neglect, naming realities that institutions have too often ignored: rising cases of sexual and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies at 17.1% (the highest in Nairobi County), a crumbling healthcare system, and social “maslah” structures shielding perpetrators from justice.

What moved me most wasn’t just the grief behind their words — it was their clarity. Their resolve. Their unwavering commitment to speak not from a place of helplessness, but of agency.

“Dignity is not optional. Health is not optional. Justice is not optional.”
— The Young People of Airbase Ward

Their demands are simple and just: comprehensive sexuality education, survivor support systems, community awareness, police accountability, and access to equitable, respectful healthcare. These aren’t “asks.” They are rights.

At SRHR Alliance Kenya, we believe youth voices must not only be heard — they must lead. And today was a masterclass in what youth leadership in human rights advocacy looks like.