Antenatal visits and childhood immunisation in Kenya: the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey figures

Pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life involve more scheduled health visits than any other period: antenatal checks, a facility birth, postnatal checks and a run of vaccinations. The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Health in 2023, measured how many of those visits actually happen. This post sets out the figures, alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations they are measured against.

Antenatal care in Kenya

The survey asked women aged 15 to 49 who had a live birth or stillbirth in the two years before the survey about their most recent pregnancy.

Almost every pregnant woman in Kenya sees a skilled provider at least once, which is a real achievement. The weaknesses are timing and completion: fewer than a third start care in the first three months, when screening for anaemia, blood pressure, HIV and syphilis is particularly useful, and a third never reach the fourth visit.

What WHO recommends

Kenya's four-visit coverage of about 66% is close to the global figure WHO quoted in 2016, but the eight-contact model that WHO now recommends is reached by only about 4% of Kenyan women. The gap is not mainly about distance to a facility, since 98% get there at least once; it is about returning.

Childhood immunisation

The survey measured vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months.

The difference between 80% and 55% is the point to notice. Four in five children complete the basic set, but only just over half complete the longer national schedule, which adds further polio, pneumococcal, rotavirus and other doses. Each missed appointment leaves a gap, and the gaps cluster in the same counties where antenatal attendance is also lowest.

The global comparison

Kenya's DTP3 figure of about 94% sits above the global average, which again shows that the challenge is the long tail of the schedule rather than the start of it.

Why these outcomes matter

The WHO Kenya Country Health Profile records an infant mortality rate of about 32 per 1,000 live births (2022), a neonatal mortality rate of about 20 per 1,000 (2021) and a maternal mortality ratio of about 355 per 100,000 live births (2019 census). Antenatal visits detect the conditions behind many of these deaths, and immunisation prevents the infections behind many others. For a parent, the practical steps are to book the first antenatal visit as soon as pregnancy is confirmed, to keep the mother and child booklet and bring it to every visit, and to ask at each immunisation appointment which dose comes next and when.

How we checked these figures

We read the KNBS summary page for the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey and the two-page KDHS 2022 health and well-being fact sheet published by The DHS Program, and quoted their figures as printed. The WHO antenatal care figures are from the WHO news release of 7 November 2016 announcing the guideline on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Global immunisation figures are from the WHO immunisation coverage fact sheet dated 15 July 2026, which reports 2025 data. Kenya's DTP3 coverage and mortality indicators are from the WHO Kenya Country Health Profile PDF created 3 February 2025. All figures are rounded and marked "about".

If you are looking for antenatal care or a clinic for your child's check-ups and vaccinations, the obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics pages list providers with their verification level. You can also tell us what you need and we will help you find a suitable clinic; the service is free.