The Cabinet has approved a KSh 4.5 billion Mother-and-Child Lifeline Initiative to build 10 new Level 4 and Level 5 Mother and Child hospitals across nine counties.
The move is expected to help address Kenya’s persistently high maternal mortality.
Where will new Level 4 and Level 5 Mother and Child hospitals will be located?
Under the partnership with Amsons Group, the facilities will be established at Magadi Road, Nairobi, Galmagalla in Fafi, Garissa, Siakago, (Embu), Kisumu County Referral Hospital, Kabichbich (West Pokot), Huruma (Uasin Gishu) Tudor in Mombasa, Bahati (Nakuru), Samburu, Kwale and Chebunyo, Bomet.
The initiative will also modernise maternal and neonatal care at Kenyatta National Hospital alongside the KSh 7.8 billion second phase of the Kenya-Austria Mother and Child under the Our Future Project.
Each hospital is planned with at least 250 beds, antenatal units, maternal ICUs, labour and delivery wards, recovery wards and two operating theatres.
2026 maternal deaths in Kenya
Kenya’s maternal mortality ratio stands at355 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2026, translating to about 5,000 to 6,000 women dying annually from pregnancy-related complications.
That is roughly 15 to 16 mothers every day.
Postpartum haemorrhage accounts for 37% of maternal deaths, followed by eclampsia at 22% and sepsis at 12%.
Only 37% of health facilities currently meet full basic emergency obstetric and newborn care criteria.
Specialised Level 4 and 5 facilities are designed to decentralise emergency obstetric services, reduce travel time for complications, and bring maternal ICUs, operating theatres and neonatal care closer to communities.
The investment is expected to strengthen frontline healthcare systems by bringing essential services closer to communities and reducing preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.
