First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is currently prepping for the second edition of the First Lady’s Half Marathon at Sagana, Nyeri County where she handed over a fully kitted mobile clinic on Tuesday. The second edition of the marathon set for the 8th of March 2015, targets to raise Ksh600 million to facilitate the buying of the remaining 27 mobile clinics to be distributed to all counties.
The inaugural marathon drew nearly 20,000 participants and raised Ksh 200 million. The Laikipia County Government was the 18th county to receive a fully kitted mobile clinic on today. The First Lady’s Half Marathon, as the anchor fundraiser for The Beyond Zero Campaign, has managed to raise funds to buy 20 mobile clinics so far, 17 of which have already been handed over to Taita Taveta, Narok, Baringo, Homa Bay, Samburu, Isiolo, Wajir, Turkana, Marsabit, Kisii, Kilifi, Kiambu, Kitui, Kwale, Nyeri and Siaya.
Statistics indicate that only 46% of women of productive age use modern family planning methods; 47% of pregnant women in Kenya receive the recommended four antenatal care visits; 56% deliver unattended by a skilled health provider.
The lifetime risk of maternal deaths from pregnancy related causes in Kenya is 1 out of 55 compared to 1 out of 2,900 in developed countries, while only 42% of the women receive postpartum care during first two days following delivery. One out of 5 maternal deaths is due to HIV- related complications.
