Malaica transform maternal healthcare in Kenya through digital innovation, personalised support, and affordable pregnancy solutions.
In Kenya, too many women still lose their lives while giving birth, mostly due to complications that are preventable with the right care. In response to this, Malaica, a digital maternal health startup co-founded in 2021, is tackling the country’s high maternal mortality rates by leveraging technology to make pregnancy safer, more informed, and more affordable.
The platform was co-founded by Dr. Lorraine Muluka, a seasoned obstetrician-gynaecologist with over ten years of experience in maternal health, and Isis Nyong’o, a Harvard-trained entrepreneur passionate about digital health and community building.
Dr. Muluka’s decision to create Malaica was personal. After experiencing her pregnancy complications and losing loved ones due to inadequate maternal care, she recognised the need for a new kind of solution that would combine clinical expertise with accessible technology.
Malaica
Malaica offers a hybrid model that combines in-person and digital care. Expectant mothers are connected to nurse-midwives via WhatsApp, where they receive daily updates, personalised birth plans, appointment reminders, emergency preparedness support, and 24/7 expert responses, all guided by WHO standards. The platform even includes access to peer support groups led by trained mothers known as “Supamoms,” along with short expert-led sessions called “Flash Chats” that address pregnancy-related concerns in real time.
This approach has proven effective. Malaica has supported over 261,000 women across Kenya with free educational content and has served more than 1,811 women through its paid, full-support programme. It has expanded beyond Nairobi to five other counties, including rural and underserved communities, and has reduced the average cost of maternal care without compromising quality or continuity.
Health literacy is another crucial area of impact. Malaica helps more mothers recognise early warning signs and seek timely interventions by delivering culturally relevant, stage-specific pregnancy education directly to women’s phones. Many women who previously missed antenatal visits due to distance or cost are now able to access consistent, personalised care from their own homes.
The founding team also includes Pascal Koenig, an experienced entrepreneur who previously built Ava, a women’s health company, and Victor Ndegwa, Malaica’s CTO, who leads the development of its scalable software infrastructure. Their combined expertise has established Malaica as one of Kenya’s leading health-tech startups.
Malaica collaborates with healthcare providers and insurance companies, including a key partnership with Britam Insurance, to ensure more women can afford and access quality maternal care. It also contributes to job creation by training and employing nurse-midwives, birth coaches, and tech support teams who serve thousands of mothers every day.
