Kisumu County has partnered with Lwala Community Alliance in a renewed effort to reduce maternal and newborn deaths by strengthening healthcare services, emergency response and referral systems across the county.
The partnership comes against the backdrop of persistent gaps in maternal and newborn healthcare, with dozens of women and hundreds of newborns dying from preventable causes.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, 42 women died from maternal causes in Kisumu, translating to a maternal mortality ratio of 135.1 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The deaths were heavily concentrated in referral facilities, with 83 per cent occurring at just two referral hospitals, highlighting the need to strengthen emergency obstetric care and referral systems.
Newborn survival also remains a major concern. During the same period, Kisumu recorded a neonatal mortality rate of 12.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, with approximately 400 newborns losing their lives.
Prematurity, birth asphyxia and sepsis were among the leading causes of newborn deaths.
However, health officials say the challenges begin long before a woman reaches the delivery room.
Data from January to June 2026 shows that only 17.3 per cent of pregnant women began antenatal care (ANC) within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Although 70 per cent of women accessed ANC at some point during pregnancy, only 57 per cent reached their fourth contact, while a mere 6.3 per cent completed the recommended eight contacts.
Late and inadequate antenatal care can mean missed opportunities to identify pregnancy risks early, manage complications and prepare women for safe delivery.
The county also recorded gaps in skilled birth attendance, with only 69.7 per cent of births attended by a skilled healthcare provider over the past year.
For women who develop complications during pregnancy or childbirth, timely access to quality emergency care can mean the difference between survival and death.
Kisumu County has been conducting maternal and newborn death reviews to identify weaknesses within the health system and develop measures to prevent similar deaths.
The reviews bring together healthcare workers and county health teams to examine the circumstances surrounding each death and identify practical interventions.
Dr. Ogolla Don, Kisumu County Director of Medical Services, said sustained collaboration and improvements in the quality of healthcare services would be critical in reducing maternal and newborn deaths.
“Improving maternal and newborn health requires us to continuously strengthen the way services are delivered across the County. By working together, using the data available to us and addressing gaps as they emerge, we can improve the quality of care and ensure women and newborns receive the services they need,” he said.
Under the new partnership, Lwala Community Alliance will work alongside the county government to strengthen emergency obstetric and newborn care, healthcare worker skills and mentorship, quality improvement, referral systems and the use of data to improve healthcare delivery.
The partnership will also seek to strengthen the link between community based services and health facilities, ensuring women receive appropriate support from early pregnancy and antenatal care through delivery, emergency response and postnatal care.
According to the partners, the initiative will build on existing county leadership and health systems rather than create parallel structures.
Lwala will provide technical support, resources and opportunities for learning while helping strengthen the capacity of county health teams to sustain improvements.
Sandra Mudhune, Lwala Community Alliance Chief Program Officer, said the county already has the data and systems needed to identify areas requiring urgent intervention.
“Kisumu already has the leadership, data and systems to identify where the gaps are. What we need now is to turn that knowledge into stronger action and better care,” she said.
Mudhune said Lwala would work with the county to strengthen the health system from the community level to health facilities and referral hospitals.
The partnership comes at a time when health stakeholders are emphasizing the need for a coordinated approach to maternal and newborn survival.
A woman experiencing severe bleeding, for example, may require immediate recognition of the danger, skilled intervention, essential medicines and equipment, and rapid referral if more specialized care is needed.
Similarly, a newborn struggling to breathe, born prematurely or developing an infection requires immediate and appropriate intervention.
The partners say closing these gaps will require communities, primary healthcare facilities and referral hospitals to work as one connected system.
The ultimate goal is to help Kisumu identify risks earlier, respond to emergencies faster, learn from maternal and newborn deaths and continuously improve the quality of care.
For the county and its partners, the figures represent more than statistics they represent mothers, newborns, families and lives that can potentially be saved through timely, quality and coordinated healthcare.
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