The County Government of Nakuru has rolled out Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in all its public health facilities in a major step aimed at improving survival rates among preterm and low birth weight infants.
The county has launched an extensive training programme targeting more than 100 healthcare workers drawn from Level 2, 3, 4 and 5 hospitals to ensure full implementation of the life-saving intervention.
County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, Roselyne Mungai, said the initiative is designed to strengthen newborn care and reduce preventable deaths among vulnerable infants.
Unlike conventional neonatal care where premature babies are first stabilized in incubators, Kangaroo Mother Care promotes early and continuous skin-to-skin contact between the baby and the mother or caregiver. Medical experts say the method helps regulate body temperature, reduce infections, promote exclusive breastfeeding and accelerate weight gain.
Mungai noted that research shows KMC can reduce neonatal mortality by up to 40 per cent, particularly in resource-limited settings. She added that the county is also reinforcing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures in maternity and newborn units to curb hospital-acquired infections.
Kenya records approximately 134,000 premature births annually, with many infants facing life-threatening complications. Health officials say scaling up affordable and evidence-based interventions such as KMC will play a critical role in improving newborn survival and long-term health outcomes.
With the countywide rollout, Nakuru aims to significantly reduce neonatal mortality and enhance the quality of care for its youngest residents.
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