Government Steps Up Efforts to Reduce Infant Mortality

The Kenyan government has announced a series of bold measures to reduce infant and newborn mortality, reinforcing its commitment to Universal Health Coverage and quality maternal-child care. On 7 November 2025, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale outlined interventions including the launch of a national Reproductive-Age Mortality Survey (RAMOS) to better understand the causes of deaths among mothers and newborns.
A key pillar of the strategy is strengthening the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) system. The government plans to digitize MPDSR and enforce stricter clinical standards on emergency obstetric and newborn care, including ensuring 24-hour theatre readiness, availability of oxygen and blood, neonatal resuscitation, and consultant backup. Duale emphasized that these reforms will make maternal and newborn care safer, more timely, and dignified.
To improve the quality of neonatal care, the Ministry of Health recently launched a newborn care training program on 29 November 2024, aimed at equipping healthcare workers with essential skills for managing premature babies. The program includes the use of advanced respiratory support such as CPAP machines and standardizing data collection on newborn health indicators across health facilities.
In a move to bolster patient safety from birth onwards, the government is scaling up its Community Health Strategy, the Primary Healthcare Fund, and introducing an electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS). These systems will help detect risks early, improve monitoring, and prevent avoidable newborn harm such as infections, birth asphyxia, and prematurity-related complications.