Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has launched a Ksh10.4 billion initiative aimed at enhancing maternal and newborn healthcare services across Kenya. The programme targets 21 high-burden counties and nearly 200 high-volume health facilities, with the goal of improving care quality for close to six million women and newborns by 2030.

The five-year partnership, known as the Beginnings Fund Cooperation Framework, was unveiled on August 3, 2026, and aligns with Kenya’s Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan. The initiative brings together funding and support from the Beginnings Fund, the Gates Foundation, the Government of the United Arab Emirates, and other development partners.

Key Focus Areas

  • Expanding access to essential medicines and lifesaving technologies
  • Strengthening the health workforce
  • Improving maternity infrastructure and referral systems
  • Enhancing digital health solutions
  • Raising the quality of maternal and newborn care

Duale emphasized that this programme complements the Maternal and Newborn Health Rapid Results Initiative launched by President William Ruto under the Taifa Care reforms, which support Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Role of County Governments

The Health CS highlighted the importance of county governments in the successful implementation of the programme, urging a unified approach based on "one plan, one budget and one accountability framework" to ensure maximum impact.

This partnership builds on the government’s EWENE Acceleration Plan 2026-2028, which seeks to eliminate preventable maternal and newborn deaths through increased financing, expanded emergency services, and stronger primary healthcare systems. The government has committed Ksh13.1 billion to the Primary Healthcare Fund, Ksh4 billion for maternal health insurance via the Social Health Authority, and Ksh1 billion for lifesaving maternal commodities, alongside plans to recruit 5,000 nurses and midwives nationwide.

The launch event was attended by key officials including Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga, Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti, Beginnings Fund CEO Alice Kang’ethe, WHO Country Representative Dr. Neema Kimambo, and other government and development partners.