First Lady Margaret Kenyatta scoops award in Cape Town

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. (Photo: Beverlyne Musili/Standard)

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has been awarded for her efforts to end maternal and child mortality in Kenya.

South Africa's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynacologists (RCOG) on Wednesday bestowed on her the Fellowship of Honoris Causa Award during its 2017 annual congress at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The award was also in recognition of Ms Kenyatta's efforts to reduce HIV transmission from mother to child under her Beyond Zero initiative. The RCOG council gives the award after a rigorous vetting of candidates.

The First Lady noted health issues facing women and girls goes beyond medicine and must be addressed holistically.

"These issues are as diverse as the women themselves and are not limited to scientific and biological components but informed by socio-economic, political and cultural realities that also differ across communities and regions," she said.

She later visited Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, where she sat through a surgical procedure.