2017 Beyond Zero Marathon Cancelled

Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has cancelled this year’s Beyond Zero marathon, stating that she has no intention of “politicising the event”.

The First Lady in a statement says she reached the decision to avoid conflicting the ongoing campaigns with her cause to end maternal and child mortality across the country.

“Over the last four years we have worked together, we have run together, bonded by our shared conviction that no mother should die while giving life and that every child should live to see their 5th birthday and I am not willing to politicise this agenda. As a consequence, I feel it necessary to cancel the First Lady’s Half Marathon this year,” she said on Saturday.

“I want to reassure all Kenyans that this is a commitment that will remain with me throughout my life,” Margaret said.

The “Beyond Zero Campaign” to improve maternal and child health outcomes as part of the initiatives outlined in the Strategic Framework in HIV control and promotion of maternal, newborn and child health in Kenya that was unveiled on World AIDS Day 2013.

The strategic framework focuses on five key areas:

• Accelerating HIV programmes,
• Influencing investment in high impact activities to promote maternal and child health and HIV control,
• Mobilizing men as clients, partners and agents of change,
• Involving communities to address barriers to accessing HIV, maternal and child health services and
• Providing leadership, accountability and recognition to accelerate the attainment of HIV, maternal and child health targets.