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Ruto painfully recalls losing firstborn son with wife Rachel
28th May, 2026 07:19 PM
President William Ruto has emotionally opened up about the painful loss of his firstborn son, revealing that the tragedy remains a deeply personal experience that continues to shape how he views maternal and newborn deaths in Kenya.
Speaking about maternal and child health on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the Head of State disclosed that he and First Lady Rachel Ruto lost their firstborn child, saying the experience made the issue of child mortality painfully real to them.
Ruto explained that discussions surrounding maternal deaths and newborn fatalities are not just statistics or distant stories to his family, but realities they have personally lived through.
“It quickly reminded me of my own personal experience. Mama Rachel and I lost our firstborn son. So it’s not something that is far-fetched. It’s not something that is a story. It’s a reality we live through every day,” he said.
The President further recounted an emotional encounter he had while in New York last year, where a female professor confronted him over the high number of maternal and newborn deaths reported in Kenya.
According to Ruto, the woman told him that women and children were continuing to die in Kenya at alarming rates, a moment he described as both embarrassing and heartbreaking.
“When I say unacceptably high, I mean that. I remember an incident when I was in New York last year, and a lady professor walked up to me and told me, ‘Mr President, women and children are dying in your country,” he recalled.
He revealed that the professor went further to compare Kenya to Afghanistan despite Kenya being viewed globally as a progressive nation, questioning why mothers were still dying while giving birth and why newborn deaths remained high.
The President acknowledged that although Kenya has made progress in expanding access to healthcare services, the country is still recording unacceptably high maternal and newborn mortality rates.
“I looked at that lady, and it was a very embarrassing moment for me. It was tragic, really, because she went on to tell me that Kenya is in the league of Afghanistan. She said Kenya is a very progressive country, and it is shameful that mothers are losing their lives while giving birth and newborns continue to die,” he added.
Ruto stressed that with only four years left to meet national and global health targets, the government can no longer afford to operate under business-as-usual approaches.
He insisted that preventable maternal and newborn deaths must urgently be addressed, saying no family should continue losing loved ones to avoidable medical complications.
“While Kenya has made progress in expanding access to health, we must also acknowledge that maternal and newborn deaths remain unacceptably high. With only four years remaining before meeting our national and global targets, it can no longer be business as usual. We can no longer be losing precious lives to preventable causes,” he said.
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Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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