The government has committed Sh12.2 billion to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, with Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale saying the funds will support primary healthcare, life-saving commodities, family planning and the hiring of more health workers.
Speaking on Wednesday during the second day of the Kenya Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Duale said the investment was part of renewed efforts by President William Ruto’s administration to improve maternal and newborn care and ensure women and babies receive timely services.
The government has identified 26 counties with a high burden of maternal and newborn deaths and is working with governors to strengthen healthcare services in the affected areas.
Duale said Sh4 billion had been allocated to level two and three health facilities to support primary healthcare, including fully funded deliveries and newborn care.
“Today, after consulting with the Council of Governors in our last summit, today President Ruto's government has provided Sh4 billion to all our health facilities, level two and level three, where a mother will go walking, deliver fully paid by the government of Kenya within the primary health care fund, and not only for delivery, but for all the newborn care essentials.”
A further Sh1 billion will go towards life-saving maternal and newborn commodities, while Sh2.5 billion has been set aside for family planning services.
The government will also spend Sh5 billion on strengthening the health workforce, with Duale saying 5,000 midwives and nurses will be recruited within six months.
“Together, all this represent approximately 12.2 billion in investment towards accelerating maternal and newborn survival.”
Duale said the focus on maternal and newborn health followed discussions between President Ruto and senior global leaders, who raised concerns over the number of women and newborns dying in the country.
“One of the reasons why maternal and newborn mortality is now becoming a national discussion is as a result of an encounter between our president and senior global leaders, who raised with him and told him, Mr. President, you have done a lot, but you must address maternal and newborn issues in your country.”
The latest commitment comes on top of billions of shillings allocated to the health sector since President Ruto took office in September 2022.
Treasury data shows the national Health Vote had an approved budget of Sh111.2 billion in 2022/23, Sh105.3 billion in 2023/24 and Sh102.7 billion in 2024/25.
Actual expenditure during the three financial years stood at Sh97 billion, Sh85.2 billion and Sh94.1 billion respectively.
This means the Health Vote had a combined approved allocation of about Sh319.2 billion over the three years, against actual spending of roughly Sh276.3 billion.
However, the wider health sector budget is higher because it covers spending through various government entities and programmes. Treasury’s health-sector review put the approved sector allocation at Sh116.4 billion in 2022/23 and Sh134.4 billion in 2023/24, with actual expenditure standing at Sh98.7 billion and Sh110.4 billion respectively.
The Ministry of Health has also raised concerns over funding pressures, noting that its allocation fell from Sh113.5 billion in 2022/23 to Sh102.7 billion in 2024/25, even as the estimated needs of the sector continued to rise.
Duale said the government would now focus on ensuring the additional money produces clear improvements in maternal and newborn survival.
He said the impact of the investment would be assessed through measurable progress, with the country targeting better maternal and newborn survival outcomes by 2028.
The CS also called for every maternal and newborn death to be reviewed to establish what went wrong and identify changes needed to prevent similar deaths.
“Every maternal and newborn deaths must be reviewed to establish what happened, where the delay occurred, and what must be changed, a no blame and no shame culture is being advocated for, and this is to encourage honest learning.”
Duale said the national and county governments would work together to improve emergency obstetric and newborn services, referral networks and standards of care.
He also pledged to manage the additional resources carefully to ensure increased spending on health results in better services and measurable improvements for Kenyan families.