NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 27 — Kenya is recording a decline in skilled birth attendance and family planning uptake, raising concerns over persistent gaps in access to maternal and newborn healthcare.

📻 Breaking It Down

Data presented to editors in Nairobi on Thursday showed that deliveries conducted by skilled birth attendants fell from 69.77 per cent between April and June 2025 to 65.47 per cent between January and March 2026.

The number of women using family planning services also declined over the same period, highlighting challenges in access to reproductive health services.

Polycarp Oyoo, Programs Advisor for Maternal and Newborn Health at the International Centre for Reproductive Health Kenya (ICRHK), said the figures should prompt closer scrutiny of why women are not consistently accessing antenatal and delivery services.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Every day we lose about 15 mothers,” Oyoo said, adding that dozens of newborn deaths and stillbirths are also recorded daily.

He urged journalists and policymakers to investigate whether weaknesses within the health system are contributing to preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

The data presented during the Wanahabari Editors’ Roundtable on Strengthening Media Engagement for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health and Nutrition (MNCH+N) showed that delays remain a major contributor to maternal and newborn deaths.

According to the presentation, 30 per cent of maternal and newborn deaths are associated with delays in deciding to seek care, while 25 per cent are linked to delays in reaching a health facility.

A further 45 per cent occur after patients reach health facilities but fail to receive timely and quality care.

Ministry of Health data cited during the meeting also showed that only 37 per cent of facilities providing delivery services meet basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care standards.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya