Nairobi, May 2 -- The share of caesarean section deliveries in Kenya has exceeded the upper limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), with surgical births now accounting for one in every five facility-based deliveries.

Latest official data published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that C-sections accounted for 20.1 percent of total facility-based deliveries in 2025. This is well above the WHO's recommended upper limit of 15 percent and significantly higher than the sub-Saharan Africa average of about 12 percent.

A caesarean section is a major surgical procedure performed to deliver a baby when vaginal delivery would put the mother or child at risk due to pregnancy, labour or delivery complications...