Prof
Moses Obimbo, Secretary of the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological
Society and Project Lead at the PPH Foundation.
Kenya’s efforts to end preventable maternal deaths from postpartum
haemorrhage have received a major boost after the PPH Foundation
announced the successful pilot of a new blood mobilisation model
designed to tackle persistent blood shortages.
The innovation, known
as the Roaming Blood Typing and Acquisition Scheme, has already
collected 875 units of safe blood within ten days, marking one of the
most successful short-term blood drives recorded in the country.
Speaking during the 6th PPH Stakeholders Forum held in Nairobi, Prof
Moses Obimbo, Secretary of the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological
Society and Project Lead at the PPH Foundation, said the pilot
demonstrated the potential of community-focused mobilisation to save
mothers’ lives.
He said they reached donors across Eastlands, the
University of Nairobi, KMTC and other high-traffic areas, a strategy
they hope to expand. Prof Obimbo said the Foundation is now preparing
to scale the initiative to counties with high postpartum haemorrhage
burden such as Narok.
Prof Julius Ogengo, who is championing the blood initiative under the
End Postpartum Haemorrhage Initiative, said Roaming is anchored on a
simple philosophy of bringing blood donation closer to people and
building a reliable database of repeat donors. Roaming stands for
Rural Outreach Mobilization Initiative for Network Growth.
He
explained that during the pilot, donors were encouraged to register,
donate, and consent to be part of a network that would be linked to
hospitals through a mobile application. Prof Ogengo said the programme
demonstrated clear success after collecting 130 units in the first
week and scaling up during the national PPH Run activities across Homa
Bay, Nairobi, Eldoret, Kakamega, Mombasa and Makueni.
He added that the next phase will focus on developing a mobile
application to connect donors, hospitals, transporters, and mothers in
need, making it possible to respond quickly to emergencies. Prof
Ogengo said the pilot confirmed that the model is feasible and can
address blood shortages, especially in rural and marginalised counties
where maternal deaths from postpartum haemorrhage remain high.
The new WHO guidelines on postpartum haemorrhage, first launched at
the recent FIGO conference, were also highlighted during the forum.
Prof Obimbo said one of the most significant changes is the
redefinition of the blood loss threshold for diagnosing postpartum
haemorrhage, reduced from 500 millilitres to 300 millilitres.
He said
this shift means health workers must begin treatment much earlier
using the EMOTIVE bundle of care, which includes uterotonics,
tranexamic acid, fluid resuscitation and uterine massage. He added
that WHO now requires objective measurement of blood loss rather than
estimates, with health facilities expected to adopt calibrated drapes
and other accurate tools.
Prof Anne Kihara, FIGO President, said these guidelines will transform
maternal care by promoting early recognition and rapid intervention.
She said Kenya is among the countries expected to align its Ministry
of Health protocols with the new standards in the coming weeks.
The PPH Foundation announced additional upcoming activities, including
the first PPH Conference set for 22 to 24 July, the PPH Autumn School
in partnership with WHO, World PPH Day campaigns on 5 October, and the
third International PPH Run scheduled for 27 September 2026 across 47
counties and 30 African countries.
The Autumn School will upskill
community health promoters and medical professionals on the new
guidelines, digital tools and contemporary maternal health frameworks.
Prof Obimbo said their goal remains reducing maternal deaths from
postpartum haemorrhage from the current 3000 per year to near zero.
He
said the success of the Roaming blood initiative shows that with
innovation, partnerships and community engagement, Kenya can
drastically cut deaths linked to excessive bleeding after childbirth.