Amref International University (AMIU) plans to establish the Beyond Zero Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital as a teaching facility in partnership with the Beyond Zero Foundation, a move aimed at strengthening the training of healthcare professionals while improving maternal and child health services in Kenya and across Africa.

The proposal was announced on Friday, July 10, 2026, during AMIU’s seventh graduation ceremony at its Northlands campus in Nairobi.

Sheila Khama, Chairperson of the International Board of Directors for Amref Health Africa, said discussions are underway with the Beyond Zero Foundation and its patron, former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, to make the project a reality.

“I’m pleased to note that discussions are underway to build the Beyond Zero Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital as a teaching facility at our university, working with Beyond Zero Foundation and its patron, Her Excellency Madam Margaret Kenyatta,” Khama said.

She added that strong partnerships have helped the university expand its impact.

“It is because of these partnerships that we are able to achieve what you witness today,” she said.

The planned teaching hospital would give students practical clinical training while supporting specialised maternal and child healthcare. Teaching hospitals combine patient care with education, allowing medical and nursing students to gain hands-on experience under qualified professionals.

The announcement builds on the work of the Beyond Zero Initiative, which Margaret Kenyatta launched in 2014 to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths and eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Over the years, the initiative has expanded access to healthcare through mobile clinics, medical outreach programmes and scholarships for community health workers, particularly in underserved areas.

Training Africa’s health leaders

The proposal was unveiled as AMIU graduated more than 600 health professionals during a ceremony held under the theme “Raising Leaders for Africa’s Health Transformation.” The graduates received certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in various health-related fields.

Uganda’s outgoing Minister of Education and Sports, Joyce Kaducu, urged the graduates to use their skills to improve healthcare systems across Africa.

“Well-trained healthcare professionals are more than service providers. They are critical thinkers. They are innovators and responsible citizens who respond to communities’ most pressing health and development challenges,” Kaducu said.

She stressed that healthcare workers play a key role in building stronger health systems.

“Their knowledge and leadership skills are critical to building resilient health systems and improving the well-being of our communities,” she said.

AMIU Chancellor Tsitsi Masiyiwa told graduates that their qualifications marked the beginning of a new responsibility rather than the end of their studies.

“Today is a day of celebration. It’s a day of dancing, gratitude and hope. It is the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance, but even more importantly, it is the beginning of a new chapter filled with opportunity and responsibility,” she said.

Masiyiwa said the graduates would help shape healthcare across the continent.

“I do not simply see graduates receiving qualifications. I see the next generation of practitioners, educators, researchers and leaders who will shape the future of healthcare all across the African continent,” she said.

The university said it has now produced nearly 1,500 graduates since 2021, reflecting its growing role in addressing Africa’s healthcare workforce shortage. The largest graduating groups this year came from nursing and community health programmes, areas that remain critical to strengthening primary healthcare.

If the Beyond Zero teaching hospital is established, it is expected to expand AMIU’s practical training capacity while increasing access to maternal and child health services.