Second human milk bank to be opened at Mbagathi Hospital - CEC Silantoi

Mbagathi County Referral Hospital has been selected to host Nairobi City County’s second Human Milk Bank, following a comprehensive baseline assessment conducted across three potential sites.

Confirming the development, Nairobi County Health and Nutrition CEC Suzanne Silantoi noted that services at Mbagathi have significantly improved since Governor Sakaja's administration restructured hospital management, placing Level 5 hospitals under the leadership of Chief Executive Officers to reduce bureaucratic delays.

“We’ve seen tremendous improvement in our county hospitals. Mbagathi, for example, is led by Dr. Alexander Irungu, who serves as CEO. The hospital was selected due to its strong existing lactation support system, ISO-certified laboratory services, and a functional community referral and linkage network.”Silantoi confirmed.

Dr. Irungu explained that the decision followed a thorough analysis of both enabling factors and implementation barriers across the assessed facilities.

“The Human Milk Bank at Pumwani Maternity Hospital currently has a 9.4-litre pasteurizer and 240-litre fridges and freezers. Mbagathi’s unit will be an upgrade,” said Dr. Irungu.

“The Neonatal Unit (NBU) at Mbagathi receives an average of 130–150 admissions per month, with an additional 100–120 referrals from other facilities. Assuming at least half of these newborns require donor milk, we expect 115–135 users each month.”

The new facility will serve both public and private neonatal units across southern and western Nairobi, including Kenyatta National Hospital. Meanwhile, the existing milk bank at Pumwani will continue supporting northern, eastern, and central Nairobi, covering hospitals such as Mama Lucy Kibaki and Mama Margaret Uhuru.

“Human Milk Banking is a life-saving intervention that ensures safe donor milk is available for vulnerable newborns unable to access their mother’s milk,” Dr. Irungu explained.

“The process involves voluntary recruitment and screening of donors, testing for infectious diseases, pasteurisation, safe storage, and prescription-based distribution of donor milk to eligible neonates.”

This initiative is expected to significantly improve neonatal survival rates and contribute positively to Nairobi County’s overall health indicators.

In attendance at the deliberations were Veronica Kirogo, Director of the Division of Nutrition & Dietetics at the Ministry of Health; Caroline Arimi, MIYCN Program Manager; the Director of Nutrition, Wellness & School Feeding Program at Nairobi City County; Martin Wafula, CEO of Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital; Dr. Christine Manyasi, County Paediatrician and Head of Neonatal Services at Mbagathi Hospital; as well as neonatologists from Kenyatta National Hospital and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital.

The delegation was hosted by Dr. Emily Ngunguna, PATH Kenya’s Regional Director, alongside the Africa Regional Lead for Maternal and Newborn Health within PATH’s Primary Health Care Program.