Bungoma county set to construct Sh65 million modern maternity wing
Western
By
Benard Lusigi
| Aug 04, 2025
Bungoma County is set to construct a Sh65 million ultra-modern maternity wing at Makhonge Health Centre, in Kimilili Constituency, in a bid to enhance access to maternal and neonatal healthcare services.
Addressing residents in Kamukuywa, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, underscored his administration’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare and reducing maternal and infant mortality in the region.
“We are investing in a state-of-the-art maternity wing at Makhonge to bring quality maternal services closer to our people. No mother should have to travel long, risky distances to access safe delivery services. This facility will be fully equipped to handle both routine deliveries and emergency obstetric procedures," said Dr Lusaka.
The governor said the facility will comprise a dedicated labour ward, a fully furnished maternity theatre, a postnatal unit, and a child health outpatient section.
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He assured that the integrated design aims to ensure that mothers and newborns receive holistic care under one roof.
"We want to give mothers a dignified place to give birth, we want our women to be handled by professional health care workers and ensure we encourage them to give birth in our well-equipped facilities so that we can reduce the maternal and neonatal deaths," said Lusaka.
At the same the governor announced that traders would be prioritised once renovation of Kamukuywa Market is complete.
“Our small-scale traders, particularly women and the youth, will be the first to benefit from the upgraded market facilities. Economic empowerment must go hand in hand with improved healthcare services," said Lusaka.
A section of mothers welcomed the move, saying that they have been travelling for long distances to access maternal health services, forcing many to give birth at home.
"We have been travelling for a long distance to seek maternal services, but with the planned construction of the maternal wing, it is going to be a sigh of relief to many. The nearest maternal wing is at Kimilili town, which is far, and it has forced many to give birth at home, which risks the lives of mother and child," said Mary Nekesa.
Nekesa urged the county government to fast-track the construction of the facility.
"We want our governor to ensure the facility is completed on time so that we can benefit from its services because the health centre we have has no maternity wing," said Nekesa.
According to the Ministry of Health data, 40 maternal deaths were recorded in the county in 2021 alone, with Bungoma among Kenya's top counties in perinatal fatalities.
Between July 2020 and March 2022, Bungoma County Referral Hospital documented 84 perinatal deaths.
A WHO report indicates that 295,000 women globally die each year from preventable pregnancy-related complications, while about 2.5 million newborns die annually—many within 24 hours of birth.