Introduction: This study was about the influence of the global gag rule on access to contraceptive services at Family Health Options Kenya in Nairobi City County and the level of unmet need and factors that influence this unmet need for contraception among women aged 15-49 years who visited Family Health Options Kenya. Problem statement: This rule creates inhibitions on family planning programs and results in loss of US funding for reproductive health NGOs that depend on donor funding for their activities such as contraception. Objectives: To determine access to contraceptive services among women who visited Family Health Options Kenya in Nairobi County and to determine their unmet need for family planning as a result of the global gag rule by examining the relationship between unmet need and affordability of contraceptive services, accessibility of FHOK clinics and quality of services. Methods: Data was collected from clients using questionnaires for quantitative data and key informant interviews of service providers for qualitative data. Study design was a descriptive cross sectional study design. Purposive sampling was used. Data Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Chi square was used to test the significance of the association between the dependent and independent variables. Results: The most popular contraceptive selected at the clinics was implants. Unmet need was found to be 46.1%. None of the factors of affordability, accessibility nor quality of services were found to have a significant relationship with unmet need. Conclusion: Unmet need, at 46%, was higher than the national estimate of 18% (KDHS 2014) due to the fact that the study population was women who visited the clinic specifically for family planning services, not the general population of women in the community. None of the factors of affordability, accessibility nor quality of services were found to have a significant relationship with unmet need for family planning, as measured using, desire for family planning and desired timing of last pregnancy because the Global Gag Response project currently ongoing at FHOK has ensured continuity of care for patients.

TITLE - Global Gag Rule's Influence on Access to Contraceptive Services at Family Health Options Kenya in Nairobi City County.
AUTHOR - Dr. Zeddy N. C. Wekesa
••••••IJSER Edition - December 2018

UNIVERSITY - Kenyatta University
Co-Author NAME -
Professor Keraka Margaret
Dr. Ngatia Justus