The Kenyans saying no to motherhood and yes to sterilisation

For arsenic agelong arsenic Nelly Naisula Sironka tin retrieve she has ne'er wanted children - and with 1 irreversible determination the 28-year-old Kenyan has ensured she ne'er volition get pregnant.

Last October, she took the definitive measurement of undergoing a sterilisation process known arsenic tubal ligation - permanently closing the doorway connected motherhood.

"I consciousness liberated," the organisational improvement adept tells the BBC, adding that it has ensured her aboriginal is present wholly her own.

The cognition prevents gestation by blocking a woman's fallopian tubes and is sometimes referred to arsenic "getting your tubes tied".

Between 2020 and 2023, astir 16,000 women successful the East African state underwent tubal ligation, according to Kenya's wellness ministry.

It is unclear, however, however galore of these women were childless astatine the clip of the procedure.

Yet Dr Nelly Bosire says the kinds of women coming guardant seeking sterilisation successful Kenya is changing.

"Traditionally, the astir communal candidates for tubal ligation were women who already had aggregate children," the Nairobi-based gynaecologist told the BBC.

"But now, we are seeing much women with less children opting for the procedure."

Sterilisation is lone recommended for women who are definite they bash not privation to person biologic children successful the future, arsenic reversal is difficult.

"Doctors don't typically promote tubal ligation due to the fact that the occurrence complaint of a reversal is precise poor," said Dr Bosire.

Despite coming from a ample family, Ms Sironka said she ne'er felt pressured to commencement her ain - though societal norms successful Kenya bash spot an anticipation connected women to person children.

She credits her begetter with her stance arsenic helium encouraged her to absorption connected acquisition - and gave her a emotion of reading.

Books by US feminist authors similar Toni Morrison, Angela Davis and doorbell hooks were a revelation.

"I interacted with women's beingness stories that didn't diagnostic children astatine all," said Ms Sironka, who is present the main of operations astatine Feminists successful Kenya, an organisation which works to extremity sex violence.

"It made maine realise that a beingness similar this was possible."

She had contemplated sterilisation for years, but decided to spell up aft redeeming up the wealth for the cognition and uncovering herself successful a unchangeable occupation that allowed her to instrumentality clip off.

It outgo her 30,000 Kenyan shillings (£190; $230) astatine a backstage hospital.

Ms Sironka felt that women's rights were being eroded astir the satellite - particularly arsenic women successful the US mislaid the law close to termination successful 2022, which besides influenced her decision.

It made her fearfulness that a woman's close to power her ain assemblage mightiness beryllium eroded elsewhere - and that she should bash the process portion she inactive could.

"Within Africa and successful America, determination has been a emergence successful fascism and authoritarian regimes, a cleanable illustration of specified is Kenya," she argued.

When she told her family, it did not travel arsenic a astonishment to them, arsenic she had ever been precise vocal astir her tendency for a child-free life.

And arsenic for dating and relationships?

"I'm inactive reasoning astir it," she said with a shrug.

And Ms Sironka is not unsocial successful choosing a child-free life, challenging accepted expectations of womanhood.

Across societal media, determination are those speaking openly astir their prime not to person children and acquisition sterilisation.

Among them is Muthoni Gitau, an interior decorator and podcaster.

She shared her tubal ligation travel successful a 30-minute YouTube video past March, explaining her determination to person the procedure.

"I deliberation the archetypal clip I ever articulated... [that] I did not privation to person children, I was astir 10," she told the BBC.

Her parent was heavy large astatine the time, and a random question astir her aboriginal popped into the conversation.

"I saw a imaginable partner. I saw travelling. I conscionable ne'er saw children," she said.

Like Ms Sironka, Ms Gitau's determination was driven by a beardown condemnation to unrecorded beingness connected her ain terms.

After trying commencement power pills, which she said made her nauseous, she sought a much imperishable solution.

When she archetypal approached a doc astir tubal ligation astatine the property of 23, she was met with resistance.

She was fixed what felt similar a sermon astir however children were a blessing from God.

"He asked me, 'What if I conscionable idiosyncratic who wants kids?'" she said.

The doc seemed to person much information for an "imaginary person" alternatively than the existent diligent sitting successful beforehand of him, she said.

Ms Gitau said the dismissal was "heart breaking". It was different decennary earlier her privation was yet granted.

Dr Bosire points retired that a important situation successful Kenya is getting medics to displacement their mindset and genuinely admit a patient's close to marque decisions astir their health.

"This ties successful with our culture, wherever radical judge it isn't mean for women to privation a tubal ligation," she said.

Another Kenyan gynaecologist, Dr Kireki Omanwa, admitted the contented was a substance of statement amongst colleagues and successful aesculapian circles.

"It remains inconclusive," helium told the BBC.

But Ms Gitau was not deterred and past twelvemonth approached different doc - this clip astatine a non-governmental organisation that provides household readying services.

She was equipped with a bullet-point database of reasons to enactment her determination and was relieved to find determination there was nary pushback: "The doc was precise kind."

Currently single, she is surviving happily with her decision, which she feels gives her power implicit her ain life.

The 34-year-old is besides blessed with the absorption to her video - and relieved that determination has been nary large backlash.

She says astir radical online person been cheering her on, which has seen her assurance grow.

"Women tin lend to the satellite successful truthful galore different ways," she said.

"It does not person to beryllium done raising a full quality being. I americium grateful to unrecorded successful a procreation wherever prime is simply a thing."