The Ministry of Health has moved to fill gaps in the country's monitoring of pregnant mothers, newborns, and growing children by introducing a new AI-powered system.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Kenyans.co.ke learned of this move through tender documents obtained from the Digital Health Agency (DHA) on August 25, which floated seven tenders meant to overhaul the Taifa Care platform from the ground up.

According to the documents reviewed by Kenyans.co.ke , it is the foundational AI-driven Digital Health Platform for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH).

A second AI health model will involve the design and integration of modules covering antenatal care- the medical treatment and support a woman gets during pregnancy, delivery, postnatal care, and family planning.

📌 What You Need to Know

That same plan also covers immunisation tracking, adolescent health services, emergency obstetric care, and maternal death surveillance, all of which feed directly into the existing Taifa Care systems.

Beyond maternal care, DHA is also mandating that all consultants involved in implementing the aforementioned plans audit and support FHIR implementation guides within Taifa Care and the Health Information Exchange.

Other plans on the list include an AI-managed national blood bank management system, a government risk management system for DHA staff, and a data quality audit tool for the entire Taifa Care database, which will combine a birth-and-death notification registry that incorporates AI, one that would link disease surveillance data directly to civil registration services across the country.

This comes as Kenya’s maternal mortality ratio stands at 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, with nearly 5,000 women and girls dying annually from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, according to the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD).

The leading causes include postpartum haemorrhage, obstructed labour, and eclampsia, highlighting persistent challenges in maternal healthcare. The rate remains significantly above the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.

This digital push also comes hot on the heels of  President William Ruto's directive to the Health Cabinet Secretary , Adan Duale, on August 18, which will see 107,000 Community Health Providers (CHPs) soon receive smartphones to speed up the flow of health data into the system.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke