Kiambu marks April with safe births and no maternal deaths

As the country marked International Nurses Week last week, Kiambu County had a special reason to celebrate: it achieved 100 per cent facility-based deliveries across all its maternity wards in April.

The county also reported zero maternal deaths during the month—a clear sign of the success of its ongoing efforts to strengthen maternal health services, spearheaded by the county administration.

Leading the way is Thika Level 5 Hospital, which posted an outstanding record of its own: not a single maternal death between January and April this year.

According to Health Executive Dr Elias Maina, the county had planned for about 60,000 deliveries in 2024. However, the number went up by 20 percent, reaching a total of 80,000 births.

“This shows that many people trust our hospitals and the services we offer. One reason for this success is the strong Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) programme,” said Dr Maina.

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Further, all the other public hospitals in the county with maternity wings reported zero maternal deaths in January, February and March. 

The CEC said the county had formed a special committee to look into every case of death during pregnancy or childbirth.

“These committees are now working at the county, sub-county and even at the hospital level. They help find out what went wrong and what can be done better to save lives. Because of this, many problems are now fixed quickly and mothers are receiving better care,” he explained.

Mothers across Kiambu have noticed the changes taking place in health facilities.

Martha Wanjiru, a mother from Ruiru, gave birth to a premature baby who weighed only 600 grammes. She was referred to Kiambu Level 5 Hospital and was accompanied by a nurse.

“When I came here, my baby was 600 grammes, now he weighs over 1,000 grammes. The nurses have taken very good care of us,” she said.

Mercy Wanjiku, from Ting’ang’a, gave birth to her first child at Kiambu Level 5 and planned to deliver her second baby there too.

Dr Mary Maina, who also leads the MPDSR Committee, said the county has also improved emergency services.