A pregnant woman. Photo I ReutersFor years, Siaya County recorded some of the highest rates of child mortality in the country, with an average of 63 deaths for every 1,000 live births. A 2024 survey by Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) found that inadequate health infrastructure accounted for nearly half of preventable deaths among premature babies, robbing the county of some of its youngest lives. But over the past three years, the establishment of newborn units at hospitals in Siaya and Bondo has begun to change that picture. Premature babies weighing less than one kilogram at birth are now surviving and thriving against the odds. There are now partnerships giving these newborns a fighting chance, while helping to bring down infant mortality in Siaya County.At 8am, the cries of newborns pierce through the busy corridors of the Siaya county referral hospital. But here, those tiny cries are more than just noise, they are a sound of hope, a sign that these fragile babies are alive and fighting to survive.Among them is 24-year-old Emily Omondi, cradling her daughter, Kayla, a tiny bundle she describes as nothing short of a miracle.Kayla’s tight grip is a quiet show of strength — a determination to stay alive. Emily was six months pregnant when she was diagnosed with a bacterial infection.The medication she received would later leave her hospitalized. After days of pain and...
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