The 2017 Kenya Health Act requires employers with more than 50 employees to provide flexible work schedules and lactation rooms to express milk or breastfeed during working hours.
The study carried out in Central Kenya, suggests flexible hours are more preferred, including possible longer breaks over lunch.
Many women expressed several concerns about on-site lactation rooms including lack of privacy, poor milk identification and storage, and use and sharing of pumps.
Under the Health Act, employers are expected to provide a clean room equipped with a refrigerator to store breast milk, a comfortable chair and an area for changing the baby. Mothers should be allowed an approximate 40-minute break every four hours to facilitate breastfeeding.
The Ministry of Health’s assessments show most employers do not meet these conditions.
The findings of the current study cannot be generalised as it was only conducted in Naivasha.
The researchers are from the University of Nairobi, the University of Washington, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health among other institutions.
They conducted a cross-sectional survey among 304 mothers around Naivasha flower farms between June and August 2021, to assess the availability of and willingness to use current and potential future workplace lactation supports.
“If made available, more than 80 per cent of mothers reported moderate or strong willingness to use flexible schedules to arrive late or leave early, break during lunch, and transportation to visit a child to nurse,” the authors said.
They added; “Maternal willingness to use lactation rooms, refrigeration, and pumping equipment was moderate to low, suggesting sensitisation may help to increase demand as the implementation of Kenyan policies moves forward.”
A moderate proportion reported strong willingness to use on-site daycares (63.8 per cent), company-funded community-based daycare (56.9 per cent), on-site lactation rooms (60.5 per cent), refrigeration for expressed milk (49.3 per cent), manual (40.5 per cent), and electric pumps (27.6 per cent).
Mothers who feared missing production targets reported more willingness to use on-site compared with off-site daycare to save transportation time.
The study—published in the Current Developments in Nutrition journal —is among the first to assess maternal attitudes and willingness to use workplace lactation supports in Kenya.
It is titled, “Mothers' Willingness to Use Workplace Lactation Supports: Evidence from Formally Employed Mothers in Central Kenya.
The other authors are from US’s Wheaton College, William and Mary University.
Past surveys have also indicated low uptake of lactation rooms.
In August last year, the Ministry of Health unveiled a plan to address challenges faced by breastfeeding parents in the workplace.
The plan, presented by Public Health and Professional Standards PS Mary Muthoni, aimed at creating an enabling environment for breastfeeding mothers.
The plan indicated the government plans to collaborate with employers to set up dedicated lactation rooms in workplaces.
“These safe and private spaces will provide breastfeeding mothers with the comfort and convenience they need to express milk or breastfeed during working hours,” Muthoni said.
The government also committed to ensure that workplaces are equipped with necessary facilities, such as breastfeeding-friendly furniture and storage for expressed milk.
The policy also advocated for reasonable nursing breaks for working mothers and encouraging flexible working hours.
“To help working mothers balance their professional and parenting responsibilities, the government plans to encourage employers to adopt flexible working hours. This approach allows mothers to adjust their schedules to better meet the needs of their infants,” Muthoni said.
In July last year, the Ministry of Health also partnered with the media to highlight the role of breastfeeding in promoting child survival and health.
Veronica Kirogo, Director of Nutrition and Dietetics Services on Monday said the government is committed to collaborating with the media in raising awareness.
"The government is committed to collaborating with media professionals in their efforts to support working parents and raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding," she said
Kirogo said the partnership intended to foster a strong and constructive alliance with the media, ensuring accurate and impactful information reaches the public about the life-giving power of breastfeeding.
She emphasised that breastfeeding a child in the first six months is a powerful immunisation against life-threatening diseases among infants since it provides them with all the nutrients needed.
