The Ministry of Health and its partners are exploring collaborations centred on coordinated, multi-sectoral action geared towards addressing maternal mortality and delivering sustainable, high-impact outcomes.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale highlighted Kenya’s health gains over the past decade, including reduced under-five mortality, improved skilled birth attendance, and 80 per cent full immunisation coverage, noting the critical role of partners such as UNICEF.
Duale spoke when he hosted a UNICEF delegation led by Mr. Omar Abdi for high-level talks on strengthening Kenya’s health system and accelerating progress in Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (MNCAH).
The CS reaffirmed the Ministry’s focus on high-impact interventions, including skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric and newborn care, neonatal resuscitation, and initiatives such as the Maternal and Newborn Health Rapid Results Initiative and Every Woman, Every Newborn Everywhere, which promote quality, respectful care and stronger referral systems.
He also underscored investments in the first 1,000 days of life through the Nurturing Care Framework, alongside modernised cold-chain systems, digitised immunisation registries, expanded HPV vaccination, and the rollout of UHC and PHC reforms, including the deployment of 100,000 Community Health Promoters and the establishment of Primary Care Networks.
To further reduce maternal mortality, Duale sought UNICEF’s support to scale up mentorship programmes, strengthen facility assessments, build capacity of healthcare workers and CHPs, enhance MPDSR and neonatal death audits, establish facility-based skills corners, strengthen adolescent health advocacy, and improve data use for decision-making.
The CS reaffirmed Kenya’s strong partnership with UNICEF, anchored in a shared commitment to ensuring every woman and every child attains the highest possible standard of health.
The meeting was attended by senior Government and UNICEF officials, including Ms Etleva Kadilli, Dr Shaheen Nilofer, Dr Joel Gondi, and Dr Andrew Mulwa.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
