Kenya records significant strides in Child Health

Kenya has recorded significant improvements in child health, with under-five mortality declining from 41 to 37 deaths per 1,000 live births. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says skilled birth attendance has risen to 90 per cent, while stunting rates have dropped from 26 per cent to 18 per cent. Exclusive breastfeeding has also increased to 72 per cent. However, neonatal mortality remains high at 19 deaths per 1,000 live births, above the national target of 12, highlighting the need for sustained investment in newborn care and nutrition. The CS made the revelations Thursday when he held discussions with a delegation from Save the Children, led by its United States Chief Executive Officer and President, Ms Janti Soeripto, on strengthening collaboration in maternal, newborn and child health as part of Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda. He noted that the Government is prioritising quality care during childbirth through functional newborn units, neonatal resuscitation and Kangaroo Mother Care. He added that The Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan, alongside coverage through the Social Health Authority’s (SHA) Primary Healthcare Fund, is supporting access to deliveries and essential newborn care. The discussions focused on consolidating gains in child survival, addressing persistent gaps in newborn care and nutrition, and strengthening community-level health interventions. Both parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring every child survives, thrives, learns and is protected. At the community level, over 107,000 Community Health Promoters are deployed across all 47 counties, strengthening household access to essential health services. The Ministry is also integrating nutrition screening, counselling and referrals into primary healthcare while advancing policy measures to tackle malnutrition and protect children from unhealthy food environments. The Cabinet Secretary highlighted the role of the country’s digital health ecosystem in providing daily performance updates, tracking maternal and newborn outcomes and identifying service delivery gaps. These systems are strengthening accountability and supporting evidence-based interventions. Recognising Save the Children’s longstanding contribution to child nutrition, community health and humanitarian response, the meeting identified priority areas for enhanced partnership. These include improving care for small and sick newborns, strengthening health workforce mentorship and supervision, expanding community nutrition interventions, and advancing data generation and evidence-based decision-making. The discussions further highlighted the vulnerability of arid and semi-arid counties to climate shocks, drought and food insecurity, which continue to threaten child nutrition and disrupt essential health services. The Cabinet Secretary called for partnerships that strengthen emergency preparedness, sustain service delivery and secure the supply of essential nutrition commodities during crises. He underscored the importance of mobilising sustainable financing for Government-led priorities, with development partnerships aligned to county plans and the principle of One Budget, One Plan and One Monitoring and Evaluation framework. To translate the discussions into action, the Cabinet Secretary proposed that technical teams from both institutions map existing interventions, agree on measurable priorities and define clear responsibilities through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide future collaboration. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms Mary Muthoni; Save the Children Country Director for Kenya and Madagascar, Ms Pornpun Rabiltossaporn; Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Joel Gondi; and Head of the National Vaccines and Immunisation Programme, Dr Rose Jalang’o. Source: MoH The post Kenya records significant strides in Child Health appeared first on KBC Digital .