President William Ruto has launched a Maternal Health Campaign in a bid to improve maternal and newborn healthcare in Kenya.

Speaking during the launch of the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) plan in State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Ruto guaranteed the dignity and safety of every mother during childbirth.

According to President Ruto, the EWENE Acceleration Plan 2026-2028 is set to be Kenya’s national roadmap to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and strengthen the systems that protect families across the country.

On his part, the Head of State announced that the National Treasury will allocate an additional Ksh4B to SHA to cover premiums for pregnant women.

“To further guarantee the dignity and safety of every mother, the National Treasury will allocate an additional Ksh.4B to SHA to cover premiums for pregnant women so that no mother is denied delivery services because of their inability to pay,” Ruto stated.

While defending Maternal Health in the Country, Ruto noted that every maternal death is a profound tragedy, especially because the overwhelming majority of these deaths are preventable.

On his part, Ruto affirmed tight reforms to ensure that no woman in Kenya dies while giving birth.

“No woman should ever be turned away from a health facility at the very moment when she needs care most. As your President, I reaffirm today that no woman in Kenya should die while giving life, and every newborn deserves not only the right to survive, but also the opportunity to thrive,” Ruto added.

Maternal deaths in Kenya

While Kenya has made progress in expanding access to healthcare, Ruto also expressed the urge to acknowledge that maternal and newborn deaths remain unacceptably high.

“With only four years remaining before meeting our national and global targets, it can no longer be business as usual. We cannot continue losing precious lives to preventable causes,” he added.

At the same time, Ruto announced that the EWENE campaign seeks to address the greatest threats facing mothers and newborns.

The threats, according to the government, include delays in seeking care, delays in reaching health facilities, and delays in receiving quality treatment once at those facilities.

According to Ruto, these challenges are often worsened by weak referral systems, shortages of essential medicines, and gaps in frontline healthcare services, which the new Maternal Health Campaign steps in to curb.