Nairobi — For years, maternal care in Kenya has been measured by one headline outcome: survival. Did the mother live through childbirth? Did the baby make it? That focus has saved lives, but it has also left a major gap in plain sight: what happens to a mother's mind after she leaves the clinic.
Kenya's maternal and newborn burden remains heavy. The country records an estimated 30,400 stillbirths every year, about 83 stillbirths every day, and maternal mortality has been cited at 355 deaths per 100,000 live births. These are not just clinical outcomes; they are emotional shocks that ripple through households and communities. Many women experience depression, anxiety, and trauma during and after pregnancy, particularly after loss, complications, or financial strain, yet mental health screening is still not consistently built into routine maternal services.
That is what Kenya is now trying to change.
Through a national push to integrate mental health into everyday care pathways, maternal mental health is increasingly being positioned as a standard part of maternal and child health, not an optional referral. One of the programmes advancing this approach is Maisha Mothers, delivered by Thalia Psychotherapy and Mindful Kenya, which is designed to work within existing facilities and community health systems: screening at clinic level, referral to care when needed, and follow up beyond the facility through community health promoters.
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Last week in Vihiga County, the programme held a public activation that showcased this national model in action, not as a pilot, but as a practical demonstration of how routine screening and continuity of care can work on the ground. The event brought together health workers, mothers, community health promoters, and leaders including Hon. Godfrey Osotsi, the Senator for Vihiga County, and Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, a former Cabinet Secretary and senior regional political leader.
A baby crawling race may have been the most visible attraction, but it served a strategic purpose: drawing families into services and lowering stigma. Behind the scenes, mothers accessed screening, information, and linkages to support, with an emphasis on young and first, time mothers, who are often the most vulnerable and least supported.
The bigger innovation is in how the model treats root causes. Maternal distress is rarely just "in the head." It is often grief plus bills plus food pressure plus isolation. By linking psychosocial care to practical support, including access to subsidized household essentials, the programme treats economic stress as a health variable, not a separate issue.
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The case for action is not only moral; it is financial. Untreated maternal mental health challenges are associated with missed clinic visits, poorer adherence to care, weaker mother-infant bonding, and higher downstream health costs. Early identification and community follow up are cheaper than waiting for crisis.
The baby race in Vihiga was simply a window into a bigger national direction: maternal care in Kenya is beginning to move from survival to recovery. The next test for policymakers is speed and scale, ensuring mental health screening, referral pathways, and follow up become as routine as blood pressure checks, in every county, for every mother.
