Experts blame policy failures as Kenya's maternal deaths rise

Nearly 5,000 women die in Kenya every year from pregnancy and childbirth complications, as experts warn that poor women are being locked out of life-saving care under the country’s social health system.

Stakeholders in the health sector have urged the government to take urgent action to curb the rising maternal mortality rate, which stands at 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, five times higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) target of 70 by 2030.

Dr Davis Okombo, a global maternal health researcher, observed that postpartum haemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal deaths and often requires blood transfusions unavailable in lower-level hospitals.

“Most births happen in level one, two and three hospitals, yet these facilities lack the capacity to perform transfusions,” noted Okombo, adding, “Poor women cannot access higher-level facilities because they must be registered and have up-to-date social health insurance premiums, which many cannot afford, and that exclusion is killing them.”

Okombo explained that while births in health facilities have increased to 80 per cent, deaths have not declined due to shortages of equipment and medical supplies.

Speaking on Spice FM, he observed that corruption within the Ministry of Health has worsened the problem.

“There is a lot of corruption in the health sector, and that is why the ministry has become a lucrative space for cartels of top officials and technocrats,” remarked Okombo, urging policymakers to make health care affordable to ordinary Kenyans.

Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) National Chairperson Peterson Wachira noted that the shortage of skilled health workers and poor infrastructure were major barriers to reducing maternal deaths.

Wachira urged the government to borrow from Ethiopia’s model, which cut maternal deaths sevenfold by expanding its health workforce, training emergency obstetric care providers and setting up maternity waiting homes and ambulance services.

“Task sharing helped Ethiopia overcome the crisis, but in Kenya, even though clinical officers have the surgical skills to save lives, they are underutilised,” explained Wachira.

He pointed out that Kenya has only 7,000 clinical officers against the 14,000 needed to provide adequate maternal care.

A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report shows that 80 per cent of maternal deaths in Kenya stem from poor quality care despite increased access to skilled birth attendants, which has risen from 62 to 70 per cent in seven years.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) of 2022 also found that infant and under-five mortality rates remain high with more than half of child deaths occurring within the first month of life, revealing persistent gaps in health care for mothers and newborns.

Experts warn that without targeted reforms, more poor women will continue dying while giving life trapped in a health system meant to protect them.