Vasectomy is a medical procedure done surgically to remove or seal tubes that carry sperms. Therefore, it permanently prevents pregnancy. Normally it is carried out under local anesthesia where an individual is awake but does not experience pain and discomfort.
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History and Founder of Vasectomy in Kenya
The founder of vasectomy in Kenya, Dr. Charles Ochieng. He decided to set an example and be looked upon in the region of East Africa where it is not widely accepted by the male gender. Dr. Ochieng decided to have the procedure performed on him in the year 2009.
Considering the hurdles he went through during that time to get the procedure performed on him, he decided to specialize in vasectomy. Therefore, he purposed and attended training in 2010 in Florida and in 2011 he traveled to India for a presentation where he was awarded a certificate for his presentation on
vasectomy in Kenya at the international conference on Non -Scapel vasectomy International (NSVI) in Goa, India.
In the year 2012, he went to the Philippines and later made necessary arrangements to conduct missions in Kenya in 2012/2013 and to be used as a host of world vasectomy day in 2016 and later in 2018.
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Is vasectomy popular in Kenya?
Vasectomy is not so common in Kenya. Most people perceive it as a way of losing masculinity. Additionally, some consider it going against biblical doctrines and beliefs where in the bible Adam and Eve were told to go ad multiply to fill the world.
The educated community however has shown improvement in adopting the procedure. This is due to their ability to research and conclude based on their finding. Information is available making it easy to understand how the procedure works and its effectiveness.
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Uptake vasectomy in Kenya
When Dr. Ochieng performed missions in Kisumu 30 vasectomies were done during the three days mission. This was a groundbreaking number considering it was more than the number of vasectomies that had been performed in the past 10 years.
By the time of writing this article, the number of vasectomies in Kenya had risen. However, we were not able to get the actual numbers.
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Cost of vasectomy procedure in Kenya
The cost of the procedure depends on one facility to the other. Dr. Charles Ochieng performs the procedure for private clients at a cost of KSh. 25,000 (USD 250). However, men who are not able to afford the cost can be sponsored to receive a free vasectomy by the NSVI organization program.
Hospitals offering vasectomy in Kenya
Dr. Ochieng performs vasectomies on most private patients at the Family Care Medical Center Clinic on the 5th floor of Phoenix House on Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi city.
Marie Stopes Kenya has also over years started performing the procedure that usually takes 15 minutes and its failure rate is 1 in 200 men.
However, according to the specialist one is supposed to continue using other forms of contraception for quite some time as it takes 20-30 ejaculations to clear the tubes of any remaining sperm.
Tests are performed later to ascertain that there are no remnant sperms in an ejaculation hence a reliable form of contraception.
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