By The PPH Foundation

As Kenya continues to face recurrent droughts, the PPH Foundation highlights an often-overlooked consequence: the increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) among pregnant women. While PPH is commonly associated with medical causes such as uterine atony, retained placenta, or clotting disorders, environmental factors like food insecurity and malnutrition can significantly increase a woman’s vulnerability to severe bleeding after childbirth.

Drought conditions reduce crop yields and drive up food prices, leading to inadequate nutrition for many households. Pregnant women are particularly affected, as insufficient intake of iron, protein, and other essential nutrients can cause anaemia. Anaemic women have lower blood reserves, making them more susceptible to severe blood loss during delivery. In addition, malnutrition weakens overall health and can impair recovery, increasing the likelihood of complications during and after childbirth.

Beyond nutrition, drought often disrupts access to healthcare. Long distances to functioning health facilities, limited availability of ambulances, and the strain on local clinics make it harder for women to receive timely care during emergencies. Water scarcity further compromises hygiene and infection control, compounding maternal risk.

“Addressing PPH requires looking beyond hospitals,” says Prof Moses Obimbo, Project Lead at the End PPH Initiative under the PPH Foundation. “We must consider how broader social and environmental issues, like drought and food insecurity, influence maternal health. Ensuring women are nourished and can access care is critical to preventing maternal deaths.”

The Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society, and the Midwives Association of Kenya, urges local and national authorities to integrate maternal health considerations into drought response plans. Measures could include targeted nutrition programs for pregnant women, emergency transport support for rural communities, ensuring blood supply readiness, and strengthening rural health facilities. Community awareness campaigns should also highlight the link between malnutrition and PPH, empowering families to seek timely care.

This intersection between climate, nutrition, and maternal health underscores the importance of multi-sectoral action. Ending preventable maternal deaths requires collaboration across health, agriculture, water, and social protection sectors. By recognising environmental factors as contributors to PPH, Kenya can implement holistic solutions that protect mothers even in times of drought.

The PPH Foundation remains committed to supporting interventions that address both medical and environmental drivers of PPH, ensuring that every mother survives childbirth, regardless of the season or climate conditions.

Sources:

• World Health Organization. “Maternal mortality.” WHO, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
• UNFPA. “The impact of climate change and disasters on maternal health.” UNFPA, 2024. https://www.unfpa.org/resources/climate-change-and-maternal-health
• Kenya Ministry of Health. “National Guidelines on Maternal and Newborn Health,” 2025.
• Save the Children. “Nutrition and maternal health in drought-affected regions,” 2023. https://www.savethechildren.org/uk/resources/nutrition-and-maternal-health
• UNICEF. “Drought, food insecurity and maternal outcomes.” UNICEF, 2024. https://www.unicef.org/kenya/reports/drought-and-maternal-health
• <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-ai-image/nature-landscape-with-cartoon-desert-dry-nature_299649921.htm#fromView=search&page=4&position=5&uuid=ed1549e4-7aff-427f-8243-6f37b46c5ce8&query=drought+and+pregnancy">Image by freepik</a>