![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thefocuspaper.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Omuga-two.jpg\")
Her husband became suspicious after she experienced changes in her menstrual cycle, sometimes going months without bleeding and, at other times, having periods twice in a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Aisha disclosed that she was using contraception, her husband slapped her before returning with four elders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe asked me what the problem was, and I told him I was on contraception. He slapped me and, a few minutes later, returned with four elders. They asked whether I understood the consequences of my actions before telling me to pack my belongings and leave,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her uncle also refused to take her back after learning about the dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With her two children, Aisha sought refuge with a friend in Kisumu. With support from her friends, she acquired practical skills and opened a salon to provide for herself and her children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her decision to use contraception, she says, was driven by medical advice and the need to protect her health. It ultimately left her without a husband or the family support she had relied on since childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harun Wandalo, a Muslim leader based in Kisumu, says Islam does not generally permit family planning as a personal choice to limit or space births but recognises the need to follow medical advice when a woman’s health is at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no family planning in Islam. However, if a situation arises that requires medical attention because it could harm the mother, then we obey,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wandalo distinguishes between choosing to delay or limit childbirth and following a doctor’s advice to prevent serious medical complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rev Benson George, a youth pastor with the Anglican Church of Kenya, says the church supports professional medical guidance on maternal health and reproductive decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe advise that decisions about planning children and births be made within marriage, with couples considering what works best for them and their health status,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George says a woman’s health should be considered when deciding whether she should have another child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou should not force a mother to bear children when doing so increasingly threatens her health or her life,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MSI Reproductive Choices advises women who have undergone caesarean deliveries to consult healthcare providers on suitable contraceptive methods to prevent high-risk pregnancies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The organisation recommends considering long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) or permanent methods, depending on a woman\u2019s medical condition and reproductive preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One week after sitting her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, Aisha (not her real name) gave birth to her first child, marking the beginning of a motherhood journey that would later cost her marriage. Orphaned as a teenager, Aisha lived with her uncle in Mumias, Kakamega County, who paid for her secondary education. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thefocuspaper.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Omuga-one.jpg\")