President William Ruto has revealed that he and First Lady Rachel Ruto lost their first-born son, saying the personal tragedy continues to shape his commitment to improving maternal and newborn healthcare in Kenya.
Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the maternal health campaign at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said the experience made the crisis of maternal and newborn deaths deeply personal, as he called for urgent reforms to end preventable deaths in health facilities across the country.
The President said Kenya could no longer accept high maternal mortality rates and newborn deaths, describing the situation as unacceptable and calling for a shift from routine responses to systemic reform.
“We cannot continue losing precious lives to preventable causes,” Ruto said.
He added that maternal health challenges had been brought into sharp focus during a meeting in New York last year, where an international health expert confronted him over Kenya’s mortality rates.
“I was in New York last year and a lady, walked to me and told me, Mr President, women and children are dying in your country,” he said.
Ruto said the remarks left him embarrassed and forced him to reflect on Kenya’s progress in reducing maternal and child deaths.
“She told me Kenya is in the league of Afghanistan. I don’t know whether you people know where that is,” he said.
The President said the encounter reminded him of his own personal loss, noting that it reinforced his determination to improve access to healthcare services.
“It quickly reminded me of my very own personal experience. Mama Rachel here and I lost our first-born son,” Ruto said.
He said the loss was not just a past event but a lived experience that continues to influence his policy priorities on healthcare.
“It is not something that is farfetched, it is a reality that we live through every day,” he said.
Ruto said the government was committed to ensuring that healthcare is treated as a constitutional right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
“Health cannot continue to be a privilege for those who can afford it or those who have jobs. It must be a right for every citizen,” he said.
He anchored his remarks on Article 43 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health, saying the State has an obligation to ensure equitable access.
Ruto said the government would intensify efforts under the universal health coverage programme to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, stressing that preventable fatalities should no longer be tolerated.
“And no longer be business as usual,” he said.
The President said he was determined to push reforms that ensure women do not die during childbirth and that newborns receive timely and adequate care.
“We cannot continue losing precious lives to preventable causes,” he said again, reiterating the urgency of the reforms.
The remarks come as Kenya continues to grapple with maternal mortality challenges, with health stakeholders repeatedly calling for stronger investment in health infrastructure, skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
