The data drawn from 10 counties with the lowest mortality rates reveals a persistent divide between counties in the arid and semi-arid north Turkana, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, and Garissa and their counterparts in more developed regions such as Kirinyaga, Meru, and Taita-Taveta. 

The neonatal period, the first 28 days of life, is the most vulnerable window in human existence. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), neonatal causes collectively account for almost four in every 10 deaths in children under five years of age, a figure that has remained stubbornly consistent since 2000. The dashboard’s neonatal mortality chart shows Wajir and Turkana carrying the heaviest burden among the counties studied. 

Kirinyaga and Meru consistently appear at the favourable end of all four indicators measured: infant mortality, neonatal mortality, under-five mortality, and births attended by a skilled provider. Conversely, Turkana and Wajir anchor the opposite end of most charts, reflecting entrenched systemic challenges in healthcare access. 

Perhaps the most illuminating indicator is the percentage of births attended by a skilled provider. Kirinyaga leads significantly, with nearly all births attended by trained medical personnel. In contrast, Turkana records the lowest rate, a gap that explains much of the downstream mortality disparity. 

Access to skilled birth attendants, midwives, nurses, or doctors is one of the strongest predictors of neonatal survival. Their absence dramatically increases risks from birth asphyxia, infections, and complications during delivery. The data suggests that in counties like Mandera and Wajir, where skilled attendance is critically low, preventable deaths remain alarmingly common. 

The neonatal mortality chart shows Wajir and Turkana carrying the heaviest burden, with rates far above the group average. Taita-Taveta, interestingly, performs better than its regional peers despite not being among Kenya’s most affluent counties, suggesting that targeted health infrastructure investment can yield results even in resource-constrained settings. 

Under-five mortality data mirrors this pattern closely, with Kirinyaga and Meru recording the lowest under-five deaths per 1,000 live births, while Wajir and Turkana again rank highest, indicating that the challenges extend well beyond the neonatal period into early childhood, pointing to systemic issues with nutrition, immunisation coverage, and disease management. 

Kenya has made measurable progress in child survival over recent decades, but this data shows that national averages can mask profound local suffering. For the infants of Turkana, Wajir, and Mandera, the gap between where they are born and where they could thrive remains a matter of life and death.  

Source: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2022.

Data analytics and visualisation by Stanley Njihia & Text by Yvonne Kawira.