Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital Partners with Nest360 to Transform Newborn Care
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Nairobi, Kenya – June 2025 – Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nest360, a global alliance committed to ending preventable newborn deaths in African hospitals. The agreement aims to transform the hospital’s Newborn Care Unit and pave the way for the construction of a dedicated Mother’s Lodge to decongest existing neonatal spaces and improve the overall quality of care.
The facility, which oversees an estimated 9,380 deliveries annually, faces high demand, with about 23% of newborns requiring specialized care. The current bed occupancy often exceeds 200%, forcing healthcare workers to operate in overcrowded conditions and compromising the quality of neonatal care.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, outgoing CEO Martin Wafula and incoming CEO Fredrick Abwanda lauded the partnership, saying it would significantly boost patient trust and restore dignity to maternal and newborn care services at the hospital.
“This MOU and cost-share investment with Nest360 will help us ease congestion, upgrade the newborn unit with modern specialized care, and construct a mother’s lodge to improve family-centered care,” said Wafula.
A Holistic Approach to Newborn Survival
The new Mother’s Lodge, expected to break ground in July 2025 and be completed by December, will provide mothers with a safe and close environment while their babies receive treatment. This move is expected to free up critical space in the Newborn Unit for clinical use, reduce overcrowding, and promote better health outcomes.
As part of the partnership, Mama Lucy Hospital will also benefit from:
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Renovation of the biomedical engineering workshop
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Refurbishment of the Newborn Unit
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Procurement of essential equipment and supplies to enhance care delivery
Nest360, which has been working across Africa to innovate and scale up cost-effective newborn care solutions, will co-finance the initiative through its Infrastructure Fund, which follows a cost-sharing model with local governments and hospitals. This is Nest360’s seventh infrastructure project in Kenya, with five already successfully completed under the same model.
Beyond infrastructure, Nest360 focuses on data-driven health solutions by supporting the development of locally owned dashboards to help hospitals track outcomes, maintain quality standards, and achieve long-term sustainability in newborn care.
A Model for County-Level Health Reform
Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital serves over 2.9 million residents in Embakasi West, Nairobi, and acts as a referral center for 30 neighboring facilities. Despite being one of the most active maternity units in the capital, its neonatal section has struggled to keep up with demand.
The new partnership aligns with Governor Johnson Sakaja’s broader vision of granting more autonomy to Level 4 hospitals in Nairobi County to forge development-oriented partnerships that strengthen service delivery.
“This collaboration exemplifies the kind of proactive, life-saving investment that Nairobi’s health sector needs,” said a county health official. “It’s about giving hospitals the tools and flexibility to meet growing demand without compromising care.”
As construction begins in the coming weeks, the MOU signals a new chapter in Mama Lucy’s mission to offer dignified, safe, and responsive neonatal care—and serves as a model for other facilities across the country.
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