10 reasons why The East African Community SRH Bill should be Passed!

Access and enjoyment of highest attainable standard of health including reproductive health is the right of all Kenyans despite age, color, sexual orientation. In Kenya, The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 amongst other laws, policies and frameworks guarantees the Right to highest standard of health including reproductive health.

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of 6 Partner States: the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The work of the EAC is guided by its Treaty which established the Community.

According to Article 118 of the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community, the partner states are required to take joint action towards the prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases and to also harmonize national health policies and regulations and promote the exchange of information on health issues in order to achieve quality health within the Community.

The East African Community Sexual and Reproductive health (EAC SRH) Bill, 2021 is one of the regional frameworks that aims to further advance and promote issues around reproductive health to all. The object of this Bill is to protect and facilitate the attainment of the life- course sexual and reproductive health and rights of all persons in the Community; to provide for the progressive realization of integrated sexual and reproductive health information and services as part of the universal health coverage of each Partner State; to prohibit harmful practices from the Community and provide for related matters.

The Bill recognizes the obligation of Partner States under several international, continental and Community frameworks, to respect, protect and fulfil the right to health by facilitating, providing and promoting the highest attainable standard of health and providing measures towards the full realization of the right to health.

The Bill further seeks to strengthen the mechanisms to facilitate attainment by the Community of the goal to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes by 2030 as enshrined in the EAC Integrated Reproductive Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health Policy Guidelines, 2016-2030 and the EAC Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Strategic Plan.

When the EAC SRH Bill is passed, the member states hope to achieve the following:

Alvin Mwangi

Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Youth Expert

Nairobi, Kenya

Twitter: @alvinmwangi254