Behind every maternal death in Kenya is a family forever
changed.
Children lose mothers, communities lose leaders, and the
country loses potential.
At a recent
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Nutrition
(RMNCAH+N) high-level Policy Dialogue and CSO Roundtable in Nairobi, these
stories and statistics came into sharp focus.
With less than five years to the 2030 Sustainable
Development Goal targets, the two-day convening was an opportunity to
accelerate reforms, strengthen accountability, and mobilize political will so
every woman, child, and adolescent can thrive.
Women’s Health in Kenya
Kenya continues to face unacceptably high maternal
mortality, with 355 deaths for every 100,000 live births.
This translates to around 6,000 preventable deaths each year
— about 16 women dying every single day.
To put this in perspective: the loss of mothers in Kenya is
the equivalent of a deadly matatu crash happening every single day.
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) the loss of 500 ml of blood
after childbirth, the equivalent of a standard water bottle, remains the single
largest cause of maternal deaths worldwide, disproportionately affecting women
in low- and middle-income countries and the leading cause of maternal mortality
in Africa.
In Kenya, PPH is the leading cause of maternal mortality
(40%), followed by obstructed labor (28%), and eclampsia (14%), according to the
Kenya Health Information System and significantly contributes to newborn
asphyxia, a leading cause of neonatal mortality.
With universal access to family planning, quality antenatal
and intrapartum care, skilled birth attendance, and emergency obstetric and
newborn care (EmONC), most maternal and newborn deaths could be prevented.
Beyond antibiotics
and oxytocics, procurement of recent innovations like heat-stable carbetocin
for preventing postpartum hemorrhage and tranexamic acid (TXA) for timely
bleeding management is essential.
Safe blood
transfusions also remain critical, yet many facilities still lack supplies,
equipment, and trained staff.
Scaling up proven solutions, such as the E-MOTIVE approach,
point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for early detection of complications, and CPAP
for newborns with respiratory distress, alongside stronger referral systems and
reliable supply chains, could transform outcomes.
But even still, facility readiness and antenatal care remain
uneven.
The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS, 2022)
shows that over one-third of pregnant women do not attend four antenatal
visits, with stark inequalities: only half of women with no education reach
this minimum compared to more than eight in ten with higher education.
Persistent
socioeconomic divides, health worker shortages, weak referral systems, and
inequitable financing further hold back progress.
Kenya’s health reforms toward primary health care and
universal coverage have come with disruption. The shift from the Linda Mama
program under NHIF to the new Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) has left gaps
in access, with maternity services once free now requiring out-of-pocket
payments.
Early signs suggest skilled birth attendance is declining as
a result, putting mothers and newborns at greater risk.
Figures mask the daily reality: most deaths are preventable,
and many could be linked to unintended or poorly supported pregnancies.
Participants highlighted that behind Kenya’s maternal
mortality statistics lies a hidden driver: unintended pregnancies. They
emphasized that without addressing access to contraception and prevention,
maternal deaths will remain unacceptably high.
As asked by Hon. Dr James Nyikal, Chair of the National
Health Committee:
“How many of these
deaths are actually coming from a planned pregnancy, and how many are coming
from pregnancies that were not desired? There are a lot of maternal deaths that
could be avoided by proper contraception.”
Youth voices underscored the hidden trauma of unintended
pregnancies and early, unwanted motherhood.
Teenage pregnancy rates remain stubbornly high at 15% with
substantial county variation, and still persistent worrying trends with
continued child marriage. Behind these numbers lie stories of young women
forced to leave school, face stigma, or endure motherhood without support, a
cycle that perpetuates poverty and poor health.
While Kenya has made progress, with the unmet need for family
planning declining from 27% in 2003 to 14% today, disparities between counties
remain stark.
More than one in four women in West Pokot (30%), Samburu
(29%), Siaya (27%), and Isiolo (27%) still lack access, compared with less than
5% in counties such as Laikipia and Embu, according to the latest KDHS.
These figures, however, are in contrast with the
Constitution of Kenya (2010) enshrines the right of every person to the highest
attainable standard of health, including reproductive health and the right to
life.
Speaking at the Global Leaders Network high-level side event
on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly this week, President
William Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to universal health coverage and
sustainable financing, declaring:
“The future of Africa’s health financing lies in our own
hands.”
Time to act
Kenya has a chance to act. The Maternal, Newborn and Child
Health Bill 2023, currently before Parliament, would enshrine access to
equitable, quality MNCH services in law and strengthen coordination between
national and county governments. For this promise to translate into action, the
bill must be urgently prioritized, championed across parties, and advanced
without delay.
As the Ministry of Health’s Head of RMNCAH, Dr. Edward Serem,
reminded us, “With all these investments, women are still dying, children are
still dying. We still need to put more effort.”
The time to act is now.
The Maternal Health Bill offers an opening, and we have
legislation and commitments to reaffirming Kenya’s commitment to health.
But action must be scaled and sustained.
The toll of maternal mortality is measured not only in lives
lost but in futures cut short and communities burdened with unspoken grief.
Kenya has the
knowledge and tools to change this. What is required now is decisive
leadership, bold investment, and collective resolve.
As Kenya prepares to host the International Maternal Newborn
Health Conference in 2026, we cannot welcome the world while losing the
equivalent of a matatu full of mothers every day.
The fire must keep burning, until women, girls, and children
can live and thrive with dignity.
Dr. Margaret Lubaale is the Executive Director of Health
NGOs Network (HENNET) and Lisa Mushega is the Collaborative Advocacy Action
Plan (CAAP) Focal Point and Legal Policy Expert at HENNET, a PMNCH partner in
Kenya.