By Job Okoth
Nearly 800 women die every single day worldwide from pregnancy-related complications — and 70 percent of those deaths happen in sub-Saharan Africa.
“No woman should die because of pregnancy-related complications or issues,” said Prof. Obimbo Moses, Head of the Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Physiology at the University of Nairobi.
He was speaking during the Calestous Juma Legacy Series (CJLS) webinar exploring the theme, “Challenges and Opportunities in Women’s and Maternal Health in Africa: Leveraging New Tools for Scale and Impact.”
He noted that there are novel treatments to help in preventing maternal deaths, such as probiotics and prebiotics to avoid overreliance on antibiotics and curb antimicrobial resistance. Other promising research includes microbiome and metabolomics mapping to identify pregnancies at risk earlier.
Extended reality (XR) and virtual reality (VR) simulations to train healthcare workers in emergency scenarios such as postpartum hemorrhage
He pointed to AI-enabled fetal monitoring tools that allowed even minimally trained workers to check fetal presentation, placenta location, and heartbeat at the point of care — a breakthrough that could save thousands of lives.
“Seeing is believing,” said Prof. Obimbo. “Our goal is to design screening tools that are both affordable and scalable — able to work even in remote settings.
However, he highlighted that with some parts of the country still not connected to the grid, there is need to invest in reliable energy infrastructure as a baseline for future technology.
Prof. Obimbo also raised concerns about inequities between counties following devolution. Unequal distribution of resources left women in some regions at greater risk.
“This system could be strengthened through advocacy and by ensuring all counties account for their healthcare spending,” he said, calling for standardized protocols nationwide.
However, Prof. Obimbo is optimistic that countering women fatality during delivery is achievable. “Kenyans are very brilliant. The challenge is not capacity, it is access to grants and research funding,” he said.
The symposium concluded with a four-point agenda: scaling up innovations such as microbiome screening and VR training beyond pilot clinics, investing consistently in maternal health solutions, bridging county inequalities by enforcing accountability and standardizing healthcare delivery. The other is building infrastructure and research muscle, including energy systems, labs, and training programs for young innovators.
Maternal mortality remains a silent crisis, but today’s meeting was a reminder that solutions were within reach. The science existed. The expertise existed. Now, Kenya has to find the resources and the political will to ensure no mother is left behind.
