NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 12 (IPS) – For working women across Kenya, reaching a health facility, finding trained health workers and providing care can be a matter of life and death. These challenges are not rare, but are a daily reality for many families.
Every year on December 12, the world celebrates Universal Health Coverage Day, an opportunity to renew the promise of health for all. But for this promise to have meaning, it must reach every woman and child, everywhere in Kenya.
Slow progress in maternal, newborn and child health
While Kenya has made gradual progress in maternal, newborn and child health through improved vaccinations and increased prenatal care, progress in maternal survival has been painfully slow.
Between 2014 And 2019the maternal mortality rate fell by less than two percent, even as investments increased. United Nations facts shows that maternal mortality in Kenya remains one of the highest in East Africa and is higher than those in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania.
Deaths among newborns and children have also fallen slightly and are severely limited by the impact of the crisis inequalities. For example, children of mothers who have only completed primary education fare far higher mortality than those whose mothers had secondary education or higher.
Persistent inequality continues to deny children a healthy start in life.
The urgency of the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Act
Kenya’s MNCH services have suffered from fragmented policies, inconsistent provincial funding and short-term financing. Decentralization has blurred responsibilities between national and provincial governments, leading to gaps in planning, poor reporting and weak accountability.
The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Bill, 2023proposed by Senator Beatrice Akinyi Ogolla, offers a crucial opportunity to change this trajectory.
The MNCH bill aims to establish a clear legal framework that guarantees the right to healthcare for mothers, newborns and children. It obliges both national and provincial governments to respect, protect and fulfill these rights through enforceable mechanisms.
At its core, the bill affirms that every woman and child in Kenya, regardless of location or economic status, deserves timely, affordable, respectful and high-quality care.
It integrates service provision into the principles of universal access, equality, dignity, availability of essential services and continuous quality improvement.
How the MNCH bill delivers on the promise of UHC.
- 1. Guarantees the right to the highest attainable health for all mothers and children.
2. Guarantees access to the full continuum of care, including before pregnancy and during childhood
3. Protects marginalized and hard-to-reach communities, such as people with disabilities or those who cannot pay for healthcare
4. Ensures respectful, dignified and non-discriminatory care, regardless of identity, such as age, marital status or social background
5. Strengthens healthcare financing at the provincial level through mandatory allocation of national budgets to MNCH
6. Improves the availability of services through infrastructure and supplies such as ambulances, essential medicines and trained health workers.
7. Institutionalizes accountability and reporting, with both the Cabinet Secretary and district administrators mandated to submit annual reports to Parliament and district assemblies on services, funding and gaps
8. Strengthens monitoring, data and quality assurance through mandatory continuous monitoring, surveillance of maternal and infant mortality, while maintaining quality standards.
The MNCH bill is more than a piece of legislation; it is a lifeline and a turning point for millions of Kenyan families.
By making the rights of essential services enforceable, strengthening accountability, and securing sustainable domestic financing, the bill lays the foundation for people-centered universal health coverage.
Political will and national commitment
The political leadership supports reforms for women and children. President Ruto’s involvement in the Network of Global Leaders for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and its guideline for real-time reporting of maternal and infant mortality indicate strong executive involvement.
Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale’s focus on delivering the Social Health Authority and robust provincial leadership further demonstrate that Kenya is mobilizing on all fronts.
As government officials, communities, civil society and health workers unite, Kenya stands ready to translate these commitments into action.
Call to action
As the MNCH bill reaches its final committee stage, this is a crucial time for public engagement. Citizens are encouraged to contact their MPs to express their support for the bill.
Advocates, experts, donors and community members must unite and implement strategies to accelerate the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality.
The passage of the MNCH bill will demonstrate that ‘health for all’ is no longer just a slogan, but a binding national promise.
Hon. Dear Cross is the Chairman of the Health Committee of the National Assembly; Dr. Margaret Lubale is the Executive Director of the Health NGO Network (HENNET); And Prof. Anne Beatrice Kihara is the immediate past president of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
IPS UN Office
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