Kenya Showcases Digital and Community-Led Reforms to Strengthen Maternal and Newborn Health at WHA79
Geneva, - Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths through strengthened surveillance systems, digital health transformation, and community-led healthcare interventions during a high-level side event convened by the Council of Governors on the margins of the ongoing 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The session, presided over by Cabinet Secretary for Health Hon. Aden Duale, highlighted the country’s renewed focus on strengthening the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response system as part of broader reforms aimed at improving accountability, quality of care, and maternal and newborn health outcomes.
Speaking during the event, the Cabinet Secretary said Kenya has moved from viewing maternal and perinatal deaths as statistics to treating every loss of life as a call to action and a measure of the health system’s accountability.
Hon. Duale noted that the country has adopted a “No Name, No Blame” culture aimed at promoting learning, transparency, and system improvement rather than fault-finding during maternal and perinatal death reviews.
He explained that detailed reviews of every case are helping health authorities identify critical gaps within the healthcare system, including delayed care-seeking, referral challenges, and weaknesses in the quality of care provided at health facilities.
The Cabinet Secretary further highlighted ongoing digital reforms within the health sector, noting that Kenya is transitioning from paper-based systems to real-time electronic reporting across public health facilities.
Clinical reviews are now uploaded directly to national dashboards, enabling faster analysis, improved monitoring, and timely decision-making by health authorities at county and national levels.
At the community level, Community Health Promoters are using mobile technology to report deaths within 24 hours, ensuring information from even remote communities reaches county and national review committees without delay.
The Community Health Promoters are also engaging families and communities to better understand the social and economic barriers affecting access to healthcare, with the information helping shape responsive national policies and targeted interventions.
To accelerate progress, Kenya has rolled out the Maternal and Newborn Health Rapid Results Initiative focused on strengthening emergency referral systems and ensuring the consistent availability of essential life-saving maternal and newborn health commodities across facilities.
The discussions reaffirmed Kenya’s growing role in advancing technology-driven and community-centred maternal and newborn healthcare reforms aimed at improving health outcomes and saving lives.
Hosted by Council of Governors CEO Ms. Mary Mwiti, the event was attended by Governors H.E. Muthomi Njuki of Tharaka Nithi and H.E. Stephen Sang of Nandi, Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga, SHA CEO Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, alongside senior Ministry of Health officials.