Kenya among 5 African countries set to share Ksh64.6B in health funding
By Aloys Michael, July 11, 2025Kenya is set to receive billions over five years to tackle maternal and newborn deaths, part of a historic Ksh64.6 billion pan-African initiative targeting improved health outcomes for women and babies.
In a bilateral meeting on Friday, July 11, 2025, held with Alice Kang’ethe, CEO of the Beginnings Fund, and David Gathara, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed that Kenya is among the first five countries selected to benefit from the new global financing effort.
Ten other African nations will also benefit by receiving over Ksh10 billion in the next five years to tackle various health challenges.
“This fund is a game-changer. It is designed to save 300,000 lives and ensure quality care for 34 million women and newborns by 2030,” Duale said.
The ambitious initiative is backed by global philanthropic heavyweights, including the Mohammed Bin Zayed Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Delta Philanthropies, ELMA Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
With maternal and newborn mortality still a major public health concern in Kenya, Duale said the announcement signals a significant step forward in ensuring safer births and healthier futures for Kenyan families.
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He emphasised Kenya’s readiness to implement the fund, particularly in areas with the highest need.
“In Kenya, we will focus on 15 high-burden counties, with five additional counties prioritised based on equity and input from the government. These selected areas represent over 50 per cent of maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths in the country.
The investment will target critical gaps in the maternal health system.
“Key areas include scaling up evidence-based interventions, equipping high-volume facilities where 87 per cent of births occur, and expanding the maternal health workforce,” the CS said.
He also highlighted the need to improve infrastructure, referral systems, and the availability of blood and blood products.
Duale reaffirmed the government’s dedication to Universal Health Coverage, noting, “We remain fully committed to Universal Health Coverage and welcome deeper collaboration to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.”
He was accompanied by Isaak Bashir, Director of Family Health, as part of ongoing high-level engagements with international partners.
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The maternal deaths
Kenya is one of the top five countries in Africa with the highest number of pregnant women who die as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
According to a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) report on Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths 2024, Kenya ranks fourth with 594 deaths per 100,000 live births, which puts the country off track to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target number three.
The global maternal mortality target for 2030 is to reduce the average maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births, with no country exceeding a maternal mortality ratio of 140 deaths per 100,000 live births.
However, each country has its national targets for 2030, depending on whether its 2010 baseline maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was below or above 420. If the MMR is below 420, the target is to reduce it by at least two-thirds by 2030. If the MMR is equal to or above 420, the target is to achieve an MMR of 140 or less by 2030.