Focus on Africa - 'I tied my tubes to stay child-free'

'I tied my tubes to stay child-free'

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The UNFPA has warned that world fertility rates are facing an 'unprecedented decline'. In its 2025 report, it said many people are having fewer children than they want, or none at all, because of factors like the cost of living and difficulties finding a suitable partner.

At the same time, a growing number of people are actively choosing a child-free life, and more women are now opting for sterilisation procedures like tubal ligation. Focus on Africa podcast host, Nkechi Ogbonna, spoke to 29-year-old Naisula Sironka, from Kenya, who has chosen to be child-free and underwent tubal ligation in 2024.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Fana Negash and Carolyne Kiambo
Technical Producer: David Nzau
Senior Producer: Priya Sippy
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Published on Friday, 6th February 2026.

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