The Ushiriki Wema Foundation, through its Okoa Malaika programme, has expanded the distribution of neonatal incubators to more counties as part of efforts to improve the survival of premature and preterm babies and give them a better chance of life.
The initiative, spearheaded by Foundation Chairperson Tessie Musalia Mudavadi, spouse of Prime Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, is supporting county hospitals with incubators and other neonatal equipment to help bridge gaps in the care of premature babies.
During the latest exercise, six counties in Nyanza — Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii and Nyamira — each received two incubators, bringing the total number of incubators distributed in the region to 12, valued at more than Sh4 million.
Countrywide, more than 39 incubators have so far been distributed at a total value of over Sh13 million.
Speaking during the handover of incubators at Lumumba Sub-County Hospital in Kisumu on Tuesday, Mudavadi called for concerted efforts among the Government, civil society, development partners and communities to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
She said collective action was necessary to improve the survival of mothers and babies, noting that the Government alone could not address all the challenges facing newborn healthcare.
Mudavadi urged stakeholders to align their interventions with Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan 2026–2028, which seeks to strengthen maternal, newborn and child healthcare.
She said the donated incubators would help bridge gaps in neonatal care, particularly for premature babies, noting that some health facilities had trained healthcare workers but lacked adequate equipment to provide lifesaving services.
Mudavadi urged beneficiary counties and hospitals to ensure that the equipment was properly installed, maintained and kept functional to support newborn care over the long term.
Okoa Malaika Brand Ambassador Njoki Mambo said the programme had so far reached 37 counties and would continue expanding its support to hospitals in need.
She said the initiative was established to ensure that premature babies have access to appropriate care, noting that incubators provide the warmth and support needed by newborns who are not ready to survive outside the womb.
Mambo said the equipment was being distributed according to the needs of individual hospitals because some facilities receive more premature babies than the number of incubators available.
She called for increased support from well-wishers and other donors, saying demand for neonatal equipment remained high as hospitals continued to record premature births.
“The need can never be enough,” she said, noting that some hospitals may have between 10 and 20 babies requiring incubator care at the same time while lacking sufficient equipment.
She said the Okoa Malaika programme would continue replenishing hospitals that had already benefited from the initiative while appealing to more donors to support the programme.
Kisumu County First Lady Dorothy Nyong’o said the county was committed to working with the Ushiriki Wema Foundation and other partners to reduce newborn mortality from 21 deaths per 1,000 live births to 11.
She, however, said the ultimate goal should be to eliminate preventable newborn deaths.
“We don’t want to lose any babies, not even a single one, so let us join hands and work together,” she said.
Nyong’o said there was an opportunity to integrate cancer screening into maternal and postnatal healthcare, noting that women attending prenatal and postnatal clinics could also be screened for breast and cervical cancer.
“Just because she’s pregnant or she’s had a baby does not mean that she cannot have breast cancer,” she said.
She also encouraged women to involve their spouses in prostate cancer screening, particularly men aged above 40.
Nyong’o further called for girls to receive HPV vaccination at the recommended age of 10 to 13 years to help prevent cervical cancer later in life.
She said her cancer prevention initiatives had so far reached 30 counties and expressed interest in expanding the programme to the rest of the country through partnerships.
Speaking on behalf of Migori County, Migori First Lady Agnes Ochilo thanked the Ushiriki Wema Foundation for allocating neonatal equipment to Migori County Referral Hospital.
Ochilo said the facility serves mothers and newborns referred from across Migori County and neighbouring counties, including Narok, Homa Bay and Kisii, as well as patients from across the borders with Tanzania and Uganda.
She said strengthening newborn care at the referral hospital would therefore benefit families beyond Migori County.
Ochilo said the county regularly reviews maternal and perinatal deaths to identify gaps in care, with findings pointing to the need for stronger newborn resuscitation, improved care for premature babies and timely referrals.
“The donation will support the teams serving mothers and babies at our referral hospital to reduce some of the above-identified gaps,” she said.
She assured that the county would work with health leadership and facility teams to ensure the donated equipment is put to use, properly maintained and supported through continued training and mentorship.
Ochilo also commended nurses, midwives, doctors and other health workers for their role in caring for mothers and newborns, saying every mother deserves safe and respectful care while every newborn deserves the strongest possible start in life.
Homa Bay County Executive Committee Member for Public Health and Medical Services Grace Masi-Osewe said strengthening maternal and newborn healthcare was essential in reducing preventable deaths.
Osewe said Kenya had made progress in maternal healthcare through initiatives such as the National Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response, but challenges persisted in caring for premature and very-low-birth-weight babies.
She said the Government’s Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere programme was addressing gaps in neonatal care by ensuring mothers could access health facilities and newborns received appropriate care after delivery.
Osewe said Homa Bay County was strengthening the continuum of maternal, neonatal and child health by identifying mothers early in pregnancy and linking those considered high-risk to health facilities.
She said community health promoters were involved in identifying and mapping expectant mothers, enabling health workers to follow up high-risk pregnancies and intervene early to reduce complications.
According to Masi-Osewe, the county was also strengthening newborn units and improving the quality of care to increase the chances of survival for premature babies.
The distribution exercise is expected to continue supporting hospitals as the programme works towards reaching all 47 counties.
Tessie Musalia Mudavadi is the Founder and Chairperson of the Ushiriki Wema Foundation, established in 2022, and Co-Founder and Managing Trustee of the Mudavadi Memorial Foundation Trust Fund, established in 1997.
An estimated 134,000 to 193,000 babies are born before 37 weeks of gestation annually in Kenya. Complications from preterm births contribute to thousands of newborn deaths each year. The neonatal mortality rate stands at 21 deaths per 1,000 live births and accounts for more than half of all under-five deaths.
by Mabel Keya-Shikuku and Chrispine Onyango Oduor
