Governors sound alarm as 934 newborns die amid funding row in health sector
The Council of Governors said the Social Health Authority (SHA) has neglected smaller hospitals and dispensaries, which are often the first and only point of care for women in remote areas.
Kenya is confronting a critical challenge in maternal and newborn health, with 934 babies reported dead in hospitals since the start of the year.
County leaders warn that the Ministry of Health’s refusal to fund deliveries at smaller health facilities and clinics is creating a gap that could undo years of progress in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths.
More To Read
- Counties decry handling of hospitals under SHA, accuse Health Ministry of overreach
- Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki named new CoG Vice Chair replacing Mutahi Kahiga
- Ruto orders all hospitals to report every maternal and child death
- Senate Committee moves to ban detention of patients, bodies over unpaid medical bills
- Ministry warns Kenyans on escalating antibiotic resistance
- Ruto targets faster healthcare access with KEMSA direct medicine deliveries to hospitals
During a gathering in Naivasha, the Council of Governors said the Social Health Authority (SHA) has neglected smaller hospitals and dispensaries, which are often the first and only point of care for women in remote areas.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif expressed frustration over unpaid claims, stating, “We are going to pull out of SHA if it continues with this behaviour of not reimbursing claims for level-two and even level-three hospitals. In our level-two and -three facilities, between January and July, we conducted 1,000 deliveries which went unclaimed. We want this matter addressed urgently.”
Governor Mohamed highlighted the importance of these facilities for communities far from major hospitals.
“A dispensary in Mandera, at the border with Ethiopia, is like the Aga Khan and the Nairobi Hospital of Mandera. Denying deliveries at dispensaries and health centres is retrogressive,” he said.
The governors said that the lack of funding has already led to fewer mothers choosing to deliver in health facilities, undermining efforts to reduce preventable deaths.
They also voiced concerns over unilateral decisions by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, which they say were taken without consulting county officials.
Current data indicate that Kenya recorded 21 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births last year. Governors argue that for many mothers in rural areas, dispensaries and level-two facilities remain the most accessible options for safe delivery.
They warned that halting support for these grassroots facilities could derail initiatives such as the inter-county maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response programme, which tracks and responds to maternal and newborn deaths.
The latest statistics reveal that Kenya loses about 5,680 mothers and 33,600 newborns annually, with maternal deaths averaging 355 per 100,000 live births, roughly 16 preventable deaths daily.
The Kenya Women Parliamentary Association has drawn attention to high maternal and neonatal mortality, particularly in marginalised and rural regions.
Although progress was recorded in skilled birth attendance and postnatal care between 2008 and 2014, the reduction in newborn deaths has stalled.
The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows the current neonatal mortality rate of 21 per 1,000 live births is well above the 2030 target of 12 per 1,000.
Top Stories Today
