President William Ruto has unveiled a new partnership between the government and Amsons Group that will see the construction of 10 Mother and Child hospitals across Kenya, in a renewed effort aimed at lowering maternal and newborn deaths while improving access to quality health services under Universal Health Coverage.
Speaking during the announcement held at State House, Nairobi on Wednesday, the President said the project marks “another decisive step in our journey to secure better, safer outcomes for mothers and newborns across our country,” noting that many families still struggle to access timely and quality maternal care.
He explained that the programme will be carried out through collaboration between the public sector and Amsons Group, with both sides expected to work together to deliver improved health infrastructure across the country.
“It is a shared responsibility to build, equip, staff and sustain facilities for health delivery and to ensure that they deliver outcomes for mothers and children,” he said.
Under the arrangement, Amsons Group will take up the cost of constructing the 10 hospitals, while the government will provide land, medical equipment and health workers. The facilities will be fully equipped with antenatal units, maternal intensive care units, labour and delivery wards, recovery sections and operating theatres.
President Ruto said the hospitals will be set up in selected counties that face the greatest pressure on maternal health services, including Nairobi, Kwale and other areas identified as underserved.
He added that the siting of the facilities was guided by fairness and the need to ensure equal access to care, saying the goal is that “communities long and wide gain access to quality, affordable and reliable health.”
The President further linked the project to Kenya’s wider Universal Health Coverage agenda, saying the new hospitals will strengthen basic healthcare while also improving referral services through upgraded Level 4 and Level 5 facilities.
The announcement comes at a time when maternal and newborn health remains a major concern in the country. The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS 2022) shows that maternal deaths stand at about 355 per 100,000 live births, while newborn deaths are estimated at 21 per 1,000 live births. Health experts have continued to note that many of these deaths can be avoided with quicker access to skilled medical care.
President Ruto said the initiative, alongside global efforts such as “Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere,” will help speed up efforts to reduce these figures.
“We are taking decisive action to change this reality,” he said, adding that health “must never be a privilege for those who can afford it, but a right for every Kenyan as provided in our Constitution.”
The government said preparatory work will be completed within weeks as construction of the hospitals begins.