County First Ladies and health partners have stepped up efforts to prevent and treat female genital fistula, with a free surgical camp at Marafa Sub-County Hospital in Kilifi County, offering women an opportunity to access treatment and regain their health and dignity.
The camp, organised by the M-Pesa Foundation in partnership with the County First Ladies Association (CFLA), the County Government of Kilifi, the Flying Doctors’ Society of Africa (FDSA) and Amref Health Africa, runs from 2nd October and is expected to end on 9th October.
First Ladies visiting the camp on 7th October had an opportunity to meet women undergoing treatment, interact with health workers and see first-hand how the outreach is helping women affected by fistula.
Speaking at Marafa Sub-County Hospital, the First Lady of Marsabit County and the chairperson of CFLA, Alamitu Guyo Jattani, noted, “Fistula is a condition affecting many women in Kenya and needs to be taken care of every day, not just when a camp takes place. Speaking on behalf of Northern Kenya, due to the prevalence of FGM, fistula is one of the cases that happens, and people hide it because of the shame and stigma that come with it. We should therefore spread our wings so that we cover each part of the country.”
The visit also aimed to link the immediate treatment offered at the camp with the longer-term goal of ensuring women can access fistula prevention, treatment, and follow-up services through routine healthcare.
“In 2025, the trustees of M-Pesa Foundation committed to supporting 2,200 surgeries across the 47 counties by 2028. What is happening here in Marafa is part of our commitment. So far, more than 100 women in the community have been screened. Of those, 29 have been admitted, and 12 surgeries have been successfully conducted. We started this more than 10 years ago, and we have seen what it means to give women back their lives afresh, because the stigma and discrimination associated with fistula come to an end after a few minutes’ surgical procedure. We call upon other private sectors to join us in the fight against fistula,” said Dr Henry Kilonzo, Senior Manager, Foundations Programmes.
Earlier this week, the partners convened a strategic leadership engagement and surgical outreach in Kilifi, bringing together county leadership, health workers and partners to discuss how to strengthen the response to fistula beyond the current outreach.
First Ladies visiting the camp on 7th October had an opportunity to meet women undergoing treatment, interact with health workers and see first-hand how the outreach is helping women affected by fistula.
Female genital fistula is a serious condition that can occur following prolonged or obstructed labour, leaving women with continuous leakage of urine or stool. In Kenya, an estimated one to two women develop fistula for every 1,000 deliveries, translating to about 3,000 new cases each year.
Beyond the physical effects, fistula can leave women facing stigma, isolation and depression, often affecting their ability to work, participate in community life and support their families.
The campaign is being implemented under the theme “Fistula Inatibika – Restoring Dignity of Women and Girls in Kenya,” which seeks to challenge the stigma surrounding the condition while encouraging women living with fistula to seek treatment.
The integrated fistula programme, which began in September 2025, is currently in its second phase. It brings together prevention, treatment and health-system strengthening as part of efforts to eventually eliminate fistula in Kenya.
