SPEECH BY H.E.

FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

MRS.MARGARET KENYATTA DURING A MEETING WITH UN SECRETARY
GENERAL BAN KI MOON AT STATE HOUSE NAIROBI, ON JUNE 28, 2014

Good morning and welcome to State House.

My deepest thanks go to His Excellency, the Secretary General of the
United Nations, for taking time off his busy schedule to address the critical
issues of maternal mortality.

I applaud the Secretary General for adding his voice and prestige to our
efforts of implementing Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number 5,
especially the reduction of maternal mortality by three quarters and
provision of universal access to reproductive health by 2015.

Globally, hundreds of thousands of women continue to die each year
because of poverty, ineffective health systems and challenges related to
access to healthcare.

As a mother, this is a subject so close to my heart.
My children remind me how blessed I am.
Sadly, for thousands of mothers in Kenya and around the world, having a
child is tantamount to a death sentence.
Thousands of children in our country grow up without the love and care of
a mother.
The interventions needed to save womens lives during pregnancy and
childbirth are already known.

That is why we launched the Beyond Zero Campaign
To reduce mother and child deaths in our country.
It was easy to choose running - for which Kenya is known globally - to
raise awareness about the plight of mothers and children.

The inaugural Nairobi First Lady half Marathon and the prestigious London
Marathon were our vehicles for raising funds for this noble cause.
The funds will purchase mobile clinics for all the 47 counties and bring
better healthcare for mothers and children.

Each well-equipped mobile clinic costs 10 million shillings (USD115, 000).
And we will be flagging off the first mobile clinic next month.

In the recent past, the Government of Kenya has put in place the free
maternity programme alongside other efforts to ensure improved access to
maternal healthcare services. The Governments policy on free healthcare
services to all children below the age of five years has also improved
access to quality healthcare for the very vulnerable and marginalized
members of our society.

However, more still needs to be done.

I am convinced that WE Can make a difference:
as the United Nations, Governments, corporates and individuals.
I certainly know I can make a difference as a First Lady.

And I am very proud that the United Nations has joined us in our efforts to
stop the preventable deaths of mothers and children below the age of five.

Thank you.