Nairobi: Kakamega County has commenced the construction of a 60-bed maternity wing at Likuyani Level IV Hospital. The devolved unit will allocate Sh 90 million to establish the facility, which is projected to be completed by January 2026.
According to Kenya News Agency, the maternity wing will include a theatre, labor ward, antenatal and post-natal unit, a newborn unit (NBU), and a Kangaroo Room. Governor Fernandes Barasa announced that the county government is developing the maternity wing under the Tutunze Kakamega Programme. This initiative involves collaboration with Jakaranda Health, Thinkwell, ThinkPlace, Rescue, Harvard University, and other health sector sponsors under the Service Delivery Redesign (SDR).
Governor Barasa encouraged expectant women to register for Barasa Care, which offers a stipend of Sh 12,000 for attending both phases of childbirth: prenatal checkups, hospital delivery, and child immunizations. He expressed gratitude to the partners for facilitating the groundbreaking of a sophisticated facility, marking Kakamega as the first county in Kenya to have such amenities.
Dr. Job Makoyo, the Country Director of Jakaranda Health, stated that the Tutunze Kakamega Programme ranked first globally in service delivery redesign. He highlighted that the initiative aims to ensure all expectant women deliver in hospitals providing comprehensive childbirth services. The Likuyani project is the fourth in Kakamega, following earlier initiatives in Malava, Lumakanda, and Matungu.
Dr. Makoyo noted that Rescue, a partner in the project, assisted over 9,000 expectant mothers and their babies in accessing hospital services during their two years of operation. He mentioned collaboration with Thinkwell on health financing, which supported the development of the Kakamega Health Service Fund.
Efforts at the community level included increasing access to blood through organized blood drives, addressing a general challenge in Kenya. Jakaranda Health also established an SMS platform to provide pregnant women with health information, encouraging hospital visits.
Dr. Makoyo emphasized the importance of having skilled healthcare workers available at hospitals. He noted that the initiatives have helped decongest the general hospital by providing community-level services, allowing the general hospital to focus on major health cases, with a noted decrease in referrals in Malava.