Kenyans Could Have More Babies as Condom Crisis Looms

A man displaying a condom.
A man displaying a condom.

The numbers of children in Kenya may soon rise if reports of a condom crisis are anything to go by.

A major supplier in the industry Malaysian based Karex Ghd has not been able to produce a single unit in its three factories since a lockdown was announced in the East Asian country.

Karex Ghd makes contraceptives for brands such as Durex and produces billions of them yearly for the world serving over 140 countries.

condoms on display.
condoms on display.
File

Although the factory was given permission to resume production on Friday, they have only been allowed to use 50 per cent of their workforce.

“It will take time to jumpstart factories and we will struggle to keep up with demand at half capacity,” said the chief executive, Goh Miah Kiat.

“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” 

“My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes … in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months,” added Miah Kiat while speaking to The Guardian.

With Chinese factories that also produce the commodity closed due to the lockdown, nationals world over are set to experience a shortage of condoms as demand is set to rise with more countries going into lockdown.

Safina Okumu a journalist working with Standard Digital says that ''Kenyans now need to take precaution and start embracing abstinence, as the crisis not only spells more pregnancies but also makes society more vulnerable to other diseases.''

"We should now find ways of appreciating and loving each other such as reading books together and watching movies together,'' added Okumu.

Poland Miruye a nurse working with CDC Kenya though had a different view ''It will be too long before we start experiencing such a crisis in Kenya as I think that we currently have enough condoms to serve the needs of every adult Kenyan,''

"By the time we reach such a scenario, researchers shall have found a cure to Coronavirus and things shall be back to normal.'' said the Kisumu based nurse.

According to the World Health Organisation, when used correctly and consistently, condoms are safe and highly effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Different type of condoms.
Different types of condoms.
File
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