Sub-National Disparities in Indicators of Maternal Mortality in Kenya: Insights from Demographic Health Surveys Towards Attaining SDG 3

Author(s): Hellen M. Mwaura, Timothy K. Kamanu, Benard W. Kulohoma

Maternal mortality is a global public health concern associated with one in four deaths among females of reproductive age. In Kenya, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) stood at 375 in 2021. The disparities in the Kenyan sub-population's economic, cultural, and social demographics call for targeted interventions and resource allocation to fast-track SDG-3.1 attainment. Robust data collection methodology, comprehensive understanding of multifaceted factors influencing maternal health, and targeted interventions are necessary to identify and formulate policies that address disparities in MMR across diverse communities. Our study leverages uniformly sampled, retrospective data from Kenya's demographic and health survey (DHS), which was collated in 2014 and 2022; complemented by data from other national surveys carried out in the same period. We employed data visualisation techniques, and Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test to display and quantify the disparities in the prevalence of MMR and its covariates at the national and subnational level. Our findings suggest a wide spectrum of disparities in direct, indirect, cultural and socio-economic factors contributing to the diverse landscape of MMR within Kenya. We propose targeted interventions and customized resource allocation at the sub-national level to accelerate the attainment of SDG-3 targets in Kenya.