Kenya: Government to build 10 specialized maternal and newborn health centers in hardest-hit counties

Kenya's Ministry of Health has announced the creation of 10 comprehensive maternal and newborn health centers in counties registering the heaviest burden of preventable maternal and newborn deaths. According to a ministry statement relayed by Africa Newsroom (APO), these infrastructures aim to accelerate the reduction of maternal and child mortality through targeted investment in the country's most vulnerable areas. The statement does not specify the names of the selected counties, the allocated budget, or the construction timeline for these ten centers. Kenya recorded a maternal mortality ratio of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), and a neonatal mortality rate of 21 per 1,000 live births, levels still far from the Sustainable Development Goals target set at less than 70 per 100,000 by 2030. The country has 47 counties, responsible for health matters since the 2013 devolution, with highly unequal hospital capacities across regions. These centers are expected to bring emergency obstetric care and neonatal resuscitation closer to the most exposed rural populations, reducing referral delays to national hospitals in Nairobi or Mombasa, which are often cited as a factor in excess mortality. This investment is part of the transition towards universal health coverage led by the Social Health Authority, which replaced the NHIF in 2024, and in continuity with the Linda Mama free maternity program launched in 2013; its success will however depend on the beneficiary counties' ability to recruit and retain qualified obstetrical staff, a recurring challenge of Kenya's devolved health system.