Ministry of Health to Launch AI System Enhancing Maternal and Child Health Tracking
Kenya’s Ministry of Health plans to deploy an AI-driven platform to improve monitoring of pregnancy, births, and child health, aiming to reduce maternal mortality.
By John Mtongoi Newsroom
August 25, 2026
2 min read
The Ministry of Health is set to introduce an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to improve tracking of pregnant women, newborns, and child health across Kenya. This initiative aims to address critical gaps in maternal and child health monitoring.
The new AI-powered platform will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive digital health system focusing on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH). It will integrate modules for antenatal care, delivery, postnatal support, family planning, immunisation tracking, adolescent health services, emergency obstetric care, and maternal death surveillance.
These enhancements are part of an overhaul of the existing Taifa Care system, as revealed in tender documents from the Digital Health Agency (DHA). The system will also incorporate AI-driven birth and death notification registries linked directly to civil registration and disease surveillance data nationwide.
Additional planned digital tools include an AI-managed national blood bank system, a risk management platform for DHA staff, and a data quality audit tool for the entire health database.
Kenya faces a maternal mortality ratio of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births, with approximately 5,000 women dying annually due to pregnancy-related complications such as postpartum haemorrhage, obstructed labour, and eclampsia. This figure remains well above the UN Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The digital push coincides with President William Ruto’s directive to equip 107,000 Community Health Providers (CHPs) with smartphones, solar chargers, and essential medical supplies within three months to enhance emergency response and data collection at the grassroots.
During the Kenya Health Summit 2026 held at KICC, Nairobi, 7,000 CHPs received the majority of these kits, with the remainder to be distributed following procurement completion.
