President William Ruto has opened up about a personal family loss, saying he and First Lady Rachel Ruto lost their first-born son, a painful experience he says continues to influence how he approaches reforms in maternal and newborn healthcare.
Speaking on Thursday at State House, Nairobi, during the rollout of a maternal health campaign, the President said the tragedy has given him a personal understanding of the challenges facing mothers and infants in Kenya’s health system.
He said the country must urgently confront preventable deaths in hospitals, adding that no life should be lost due to gaps that can be fixed through stronger systems and better care.
“We cannot continue losing precious lives to preventable causes,” Ruto said.
He recalled a moment during a visit to New York last year when a conversation with a global health expert pushed him to reflect on Kenya’s progress in reducing maternal and child deaths.
“I was in New York last year and a lady, walked to me and told me, Mr President, women and children are dying in your country,” he said.
Ruto said the comment left a strong impression on him and made him question how far the country has come in protecting mothers and newborns.
“She told me Kenya is in the league of Afghanistan. I don’t know whether you people know where that is,” he said.
The President said the exchange also brought back memories of his own personal grief, which he linked directly to his focus on improving healthcare delivery.
“It quickly reminded me of my very own personal experience. Mama Rachel here and I lost our first-born son,” Ruto said.
He added that the loss remains part of his lived reality and continues to shape the decisions he makes on health reforms.
“It is not something that is farfetched, it is a reality that we live through every day,” he said.
Ruto stressed that access to healthcare should not depend on income or employment status, insisting that it must be guaranteed for every citizen.
“Health cannot continue to be a privilege for those who can afford it or those who have jobs. It must be a right for every citizen,” he said.
He anchored this position on Article 43 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health, saying government has a duty to ensure equal access to care.
The President said ongoing reforms under universal health coverage will focus on reducing maternal and newborn deaths and strengthening emergency services across the country.
“And no longer be business as usual,” he said.
He emphasized that the goal is to ensure safer deliveries and better response systems for newborn care in all health facilities.
“We cannot continue losing precious lives to preventable causes,” he said again.
The remarks come as Kenya continues to struggle with maternal mortality challenges, with health experts calling for stronger investment in hospitals, more skilled health workers, and improved emergency obstetric care, especially in rural and underserved areas.