Rural Clinics Receive New Equipment to Boost Delivery Services

County governments and development partners have stepped up to strengthen rural maternal health care by equipping remote clinics with modern delivery tools. In Tana River County, for example, the local government recently allocated KSh 15 million to procure state‑of‑the‑art maternity equipment for three frontline health facilities: Wenje Dispensary, Kipini, and Bura Health Centres. The new gear includes delivery beds, oxygen cylinders, fetoscopes, BP machines, digital refrigerators, and resuscitation carts—investments aimed at reducing maternity-related referrals and improving outcomes for mothers and newborns.
In Nakuru County, another notable upgrade has been the introduction of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) equipment in resource-poor and remote clinics. Through a partnership between the County Government and Kenyatta University, a KSh 49.5 million programme funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is training primary-level health workers to perform basic obstetric ultrasounds, enabling earlier detection of pregnancy complications and more timely care.
Elsewhere, investments are also being made in expanding maternity infrastructure. Embu County, with support from the M‑PESA Foundation, is constructing a KSh 45 million maternity wing at Kianjakoma Health Centre. The new wing will feature a 25‑bed unit, a two-bed delivery room, an operating theatre, and neonatal care facilities, boosting the capacity of the health centre to handle more deliveries locally.
Experts say that equipping rural clinics with delivery infrastructure is a critical step in reducing maternal and child mortality. By upgrading physical resources, training local health workers, and making life-saving technology accessible in underserved regions, these efforts aim to reduce long-distance referrals, improve response to obstetric emergencies, and ensure safer, more dignified childbirth for rural women.