A new USD$4 million (KSh517 million) maternal and newborn health programme has been launched to strengthen healthcare delivery in Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, where persistent gaps in access to skilled medical care have contributed to high levels of preventable deaths during pregnancy and childbirth. The two-year initiative, implemented by Kenya’s Ministry of Health in partnership with the Government of China and UNICEF, will focus on improving service delivery across the maternal health continuum by equipping health facilities with essential medical supplies and equipment, training community health workers to enhance household-level outreach and support, and upgrading water, sanitation and hygiene systems to reduce the risk of infections among mothers and newborns. 

The programme is also designed to address long-standing disparities in healthcare access across the three counties by bringing essential maternal and newborn services closer to communities where many women continue to face barriers to accessing skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth and the critical postnatal period. By strengthening both facility-based and community-level health systems, the initiative aims to improve the early detection of complications such as haemorrhage, infections, hypertension, and newborn conditions, including prematurity and birth-related distress, which remain leading causes of maternal and infant mortality in the region. 

Overall, the programme is aligned with Kenya’s broader health and development agenda, including the objectives of Vision 2030, and seeks to reduce maternal and newborn mortality by expanding access to quality, timely and life-saving healthcare services in some of the country’s most underserved and vulnerable regions. 

(The Star)