The government has secured a Sh10.4 billion funding package to improve maternal and newborn healthcare, setting the stage for one of the country's biggest investments aimed at reducing preventable deaths among mothers and babies.
The funding will support a five-year programme under a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the non-profit Beginnings Fund. The initiative will focus on strengthening services in about 200 high-volume health facilities spread across 21 priority counties.
According to the Ministry of Health, the investment is expected to improve access to quality maternal and newborn care for about 5.9 million women and newborns while helping prevent an estimated 46,494 maternal and newborn deaths by 2031.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the agreement should mark the beginning of real action rather than another commitment that remains on paper.
“Frameworks or agreements do not save lives. Implementation does. I therefore urge the Beginnings Fund, implementing partners, and all responsible institutions to move with urgency from signing to execution,” Duale said during the signing of the agreement.
He warned that delays in implementing the programme would continue to expose mothers and newborns to avoidable risks.
“Every delayed procurement, every postponed activity, and every missed milestone represent mothers and newborns whose lives remain at unnecessary risk.”
The ministry did not disclose the full list of the 21 counties that will benefit from the programme. However, it said the selection was guided by equity and the needs of the health system.
Previous Ministry of Health maternal and newborn health plans had identified Turkana, Marsabit, Samburu, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya and Nairobi as counties carrying the highest burden of maternal and newborn deaths.
Duale said the impact of the programme would not be judged by the amount of money spent or the number of meetings held, but by improvements in health outcomes across the country.
He said success would be reflected through fewer maternal deaths, fewer newborn deaths, fewer stillbirths, stronger healthcare systems and increased public confidence in health services.
Beginnings Fund is a philanthropic partnership that works with African governments to reduce preventable deaths among mothers and babies. The organisation is backed by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, the Gates Foundation, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Delta Philanthropies and The ELMA Foundation.
In Kenya, the investment will be directed towards improving staffing in health facilities, ensuring hospitals have essential medicines and life-saving medical equipment, strengthening ambulance and referral systems, and improving the collection and use of health data in busy maternity units.
The funding is also expected to complement ongoing investments by the national government, county governments and other development partners as Kenya seeks to improve maternal and newborn health services and reduce preventable deaths across the country over the next five years