Tessie Musalia, Spouse to the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Chair of Ushiriki Wema Foundation, County First Ladies Dorothy Nyong'o and Agnes Ochilo (Migori) at Lumumba Sub-County in Kisumu County during the hands over 11 state-of-the-art neonatal incubators to six Nyanza counties/HANDOUTSpouse of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Tessie Mudavadi, has called for concerted efforts by the government, civil society, development partners and communities to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Tessie explained that collective action is critical to improving the survival of mothers and babies.
Speaking in Kisumu during the handover of neonatal equipment to five counties in the Nyanza region, Mudavadi said addressing the persistent challenge of newborn deaths required coordinated interventions and adequate investment in healthcare facilities.
“The Government cannot do this work alone. Neither can civil society, development partners or communities working separately,” she said.
“Success will require all of us to align our efforts with the EWENE (Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere) Acceleration Plan 2026-2028 agenda and place mothers and newborns at the centre of our decisions.”
The handover marked Phase Nine of the Okoa Malaika programme, an initiative that distributes neonatal equipment to hospitals to improve the care of premature babies and support maternal and child health.
Mudavadi said the equipment would help address gaps in newborn care, particularly for babies born prematurely who require specialised support to survive.
“Behind every preterm baby fighting for life is a mother and a family waiting, praying and hoping that their child will survive,” she said.
She noted that some health facilities lacked adequate incubators despite having trained and committed healthcare workers capable of providing lifesaving care.
“A preterm baby may be born in a hospital, yet the facility may not have enough incubators to provide the care they need. A healthcare worker may have the knowledge, skills, and commitment to save a life, but lack the essential equipment to do so,” she said.
Mudavadi described the donated incubators as more than medical equipment, saying they represented protection and a vital chance of survival for babies born too soon.
She urged the beneficiary counties and hospitals to ensure the equipment was properly installed, maintained and kept functional to serve newborns for years.
The initiative is being implemented under Ushiriki Wema Foundation, a non-profit organisation run by Tessie under the Office of the Spouse of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
Njoki Mambo, the Okoa Malaika brand ambassador, said the equipment would strengthen healthcare workers' ability to care for vulnerable newborns.
“Behind every incubator is a mother waiting to hold her child, a family hoping for good news, and a healthcare worker doing everything possible to help a newborn survive,” she said.
“I thank Tessie Musalia Mudavadi for her steadfast leadership of Okoa Malaika.”
