Good morning, distinguished guests, partners, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my great pleasure to join you today at the official launch of Petals by Zuri Health — a timely and transformative initiative dedicated to advancing women's health and empowerment across all stages of life.

Allow me to begin with a brief snapshot of women's health and education in Kenya. Our internal mortality ratio is 355 deaths per 100,000 live births — still too high for the progress we aspire to. The modern contraceptive prevalence rate among married women is 57 percent, while the unmet need for family planning is 14 percent. On education, we celebrate that 95 percent of young women aged 15 to 24 are literate; yet only about 40 percent progress to secondary school and just one in five continue to post-secondary education. These figures remind us that while gains have been made, much remains to be done to ensure that education, empowerment, and access to quality health services advance together.

This is precisely why we are here today: because women's health and empowerment are inseparable. Educated and empowered women are more likely to make informed health choices, use family planning, seek skilled care during pregnancy, and achieve better outcomes for themselves and their families. When women thrive, families prosper and communities flourish.

The Government of Kenya remains fully committed to promoting women's health across the life course — from adolescence through motherhood and into menopause and beyond. We continue to prioritize access to comprehensive reproductive health services, including family planning, as a foundation for women's empowerment and gender equality. When women can plan their families, they can pursue education and careers and contribute fully to our nation's development.

At the same time, improving the quality of maternal and newborn care remains central to our work. Every mother deserves safe, respectful, and high-quality care — not only to survive childbirth, but to thrive with her newborn in good health and dignity.