First Lady Margaret Kenyatta with Mrs. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [Photo/PSCU]

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First Lady Margaret Kenyatta met with Mrs. Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to discuss their shared commitment to improving health outcomes for Kenya’s women and girls. 

They also explored opportunities to deepen the foundation’s partnership with Kenya. 

The two agreed that women and girls should remain at the center of Kenya’s health policy and become key beneficiaries in the Government of Kenya's new focus on affordable health care.  

Mrs. Gates thanked the First Lady for her efforts to improve maternal health through her leadership of Beyond Zero. 

“In working to improve health outcomes, we have an obligation to use our platforms and our voice to amplify the challenges facing women and children; I commend the First Lady’s willingness to speak out on these important issues. I look forward to continuing our conversation on how we can support efforts to keep women and girls in sharp focus as Kenya pursues its ambitious plans for providing healthcare access to its people.”   

The First Lady, who last met Melinda Gates in June 2016, commended the Gates Foundation’s long partnership with Kenya, acknowledging over $400 million worth of investments made over the past 5 years. 

“We appreciate the impact The Gates Foundation is having here through the work they do in health”. 

Both the First Lady and Melinda Gates see women and girls’ empowerment as a vital platform for inclusive growth and prosperity in Kenya and they agreed to continue to examine opportunities to empower women and girls and improve their livelihoods.  

Their time together included a joint appearance at an event hosted by the non-profit The Moth, featuring true personal stories told by men and women from across the continent who are using storytelling to catalyze change at community level. 

Ahead of today’s meeting, Melinda Gates, one of three co-chairs, launched Pathways for Prosperity: A new Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development.