By The PPH Foundation

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of preventable maternal deaths in Kenya and globally, accounting for about 40 percent of maternal mortality in the country. Kenya’s maternal mortality ratio stands at approximately 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, translating to nearly 6,000 deaths a year; or roughly 16 women daily from pregnancy-related causes.

While clinical interventions remain foundational, climate change is emerging as a significant determinant of maternal health outcomes. Extreme weather events; including prolonged droughts and recurrent floods, disrupt access to care, weaken health infrastructure, and exacerbate underlying risk factors such as anaemia and dehydration, which increase the severity of PPH complications. In counties like Tana River, Garissa, and West Pokot, climate-induced shocks are compounded by entrenched health system challenges, contributing to persistently high maternal mortality in those regions.

Climate adaptation and health financing are not yet well aligned. Global analyses show that only a small fraction of climate adaptation funding is directed to health systems, despite data indicating that addressing climate impacts on health is essential for achieving maternal survival goals.

Integrated climate–health efforts are underway in Kenya. For example, UNFPA’s climate resilience project in Tana River, Garissa, Turkana, and Mandera seeks to mainstream resilience into health and protection systems, recognizing that climate vulnerabilities disproportionately affect women and girls and that health services must be adaptive.

Yet, without deliberate climate financing that prioritizes maternal services; such as bolstering maternal emergency care, securing cold chains for medicines, strengthening water and sanitation in maternity units, and safeguarding transport networks during disasters, women will continue to die due to preventable conditions like PPH.

Prof Julius Ogengo, Co‑Lead of the End PPH Initiative, underscores the urgency of this integrated approach: “Protecting mothers from preventable deaths requires health systems that are resilient to climate shocks. Climate adaptation funding must include maternal health priorities if we are to save lives in every region.”

Linking climate finance with maternal health is not only strategic but essential for Kenya’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 3.1; reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

Sources:
• PMNCH/WHO, “The Hidden Toll of Maternal Mortality in Kenya,” 2025
• Amref Health Africa, “13 Counties Most Affected by Postpartum Haemorrhage,” 2024
• UNFPA Kenya, Climate Resilience Project Report, 2024
• Kenya Collaborative Advocacy Action Plan (CAAP) for RMNCAH+N, PMNCH/WHO, 2025
• End PPH Initiative, “Postpartum Haemorrhage and Human Rights,” 2025

<a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/hand-drawn-mother-earth-day-illustration_12984061.htm">Image by freepik</a>