Health

The Kenyan government has sounded the alarm over malaria’s persistent threat, announcing the country recorded over 5 million cases in 2024, with hotspots concentrated in counties bordering Lake Victoria, Turkana, and Kwale.

Speaking at a health event in Kwale, Dr. Joseph Lenai, Director of Preventive and Promotive Healthcare, emphasized that over 70% of Kenya’s population remains at risk, calling the disease a “socio-economic anchor” that disrupts education, productivity, and household finances.

“Malaria continues to hinder our development—keeping children out of school, reducing productivity, and draining families’ resources,” said Dr. Lenai, who represented Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale.

National malaria prevalence has dropped from 8% to 6% over the past decade, attributed to scaled-up interventions. These include the distribution of 14.6 million insecticide-treated nets across 24 high-risk counties in 2023/2024 and the rollout of malaria vaccines targeting vulnerable children under five.

The Ministry of Health is also leveraging digital tools to train healthcare workers and deepening cross-border collaboration. Duale noted partnerships with Uganda under the Great Lakes Malaria Initiative (GLMI) to combat the disease in shared regions. However, challenges loom.

International and domestic funding gaps threaten to stall progress, with Gilbert Wangalwa, Deputy Country Director of Amref Health Africa, warning that Kenya’s heavy reliance on external support leaves elimination efforts “perilously vulnerable.”

Roneek Vora, Director of Sales at Revital EPZ Ltd and member of the End Malaria Council (EMC), stressed the need for a “whole-of-society approach” to meet Kenya’s 2030 elimination target.

“This fight is too big for government alone,” he said, pointing to private-sector innovations like Africa’s largest rapid diagnostic test (RDT) manufacturing plant in Kenya. The facility produces 20 million test kits monthly for malaria, HIV, and hepatitis, while creating 200 jobs—80% held by women, including individuals with disabilities.

Cases plummeted from a 2007 peak of 9.2 million to 5.6 million in 2023, while malaria’s share of outpatient visits dropped from 30% to 16%. Yet experts warn these achievements could unravel without sustained investment. Global malaria funding meets only 41% of needs, and Kenya’s 2024 caseload underscores the stakes.

East Africa remains a hotspot, with Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda accounting for nearly 10% of global cases in 2022 (23.8 million cases, 53,000 deaths).

This year’s World Malaria Day theme, “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite,” has reignited calls for innovation.

Dr. Lenai praised collaborative efforts but urged vigilance: “Malaria is a development issue. Our gains are fragile.” Duale echoed gratitude for partners like The Global Fund, WHO, and USAID, while advocates pressed for localized solutions and diversified funding.

The Kenyan Government has on Friday appointed Dr. Mercy Mwangangi as the new CEO of the Social Health Authority (SHA).

Dr. Mwangangi brings over 15 years of experience in health financing, policy development, and universal health coverage (UHC).

Her expertise in institutional reform and health systems strengthening positions her as a key figure in advancing SHA’s objectives.

Currently serving as the Senior Health Systems Strengthening Director at AMREF Health Africa, she has successfully secured funding for primary healthcare and UHC expansion across Africa, showcasing her ability to mobilize resources and foster strategic partnerships.

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, expressed confidence in Dr. Mwangangi’s leadership, highlighting her proven track record in health governance and policy transformation.

“She has the vision and expertise to steer SHA towards achieving its mandate and contributing to the advancement of Kenya’s healthcare sector,” Duale stated.

Her appointment followed a rigorous selection process that drew 92 applicants, with 12 shortlisted candidates interviewed. This competitive process underscores the government’s commitment to selecting the most qualified leader for the role.

Dr. Mwangangi takes over from Elijah Wachira, who was dismissed last year due to performance and conduct issues. As she assumes her new role, her priorities are expected to include enhancing SHA’s operational efficiency, expanding healthcare access, and ensuring sustainable health financing models.

The Ministry of Health is set to observe World Oral Health Day today, March 20, 2025, at Nduluku Primary and Junior Secondary School in Makueni County.

The event, themed “A Happy Mouth is a Happy Mind,” aims to highlight the importance of oral health and its link to mental health and overall well-being.

In attendance will be Principal Secretary for Medical Services Harry Kimtai, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior, and Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, along with other health experts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), oral diseases such as dental caries, gum disease, and tooth loss affected 42% of Africa’s population in 2021. The region also bears the highest burden of noma cases—a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth that primarily affects young children.

If untreated, noma has a high fatality rate, while survivors often suffer lifelong disfigurement, stigma, and discrimination.

The WHO has integrated oral disease prevention into noncommunicable disease (NCD) control strategies, as they share common risk factors like tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and high sugar intake. Despite these efforts, only 17% of the region’s population has access to essential oral health care, and the workforce remains inadequate.

In response, Kenya is working to strengthen oral health systems by training community health workers and engaging in regional capacity-building initiatives.

This year’s commemoration underscores the need for collective action to improve oral health outcomes and reduce the burden of preventable diseases.

In response to a widening funding gap of Ksh25 billion, the Kenyan government has rolled out a comprehensive strategy to combat malaria, with Busia County leading the charge through the launch of the third phase of the Larval Source Management (LSM) initiative.

The innovative project, funded by SC Johnson, targets mosquito larvae at their aquatic stages to curb malaria transmission.

Dr. Willis Akhwale, Special Advisor to the End Malaria Council, highlighted the initiative’s success, stating, “When we sprayed 17 hectares of breeding grounds in Busia, we achieved a 95% reduction in adult mosquitoes capable of spreading infection.”

The LSM approach uses biolarvicides—sprays that target the intestines of young mosquitoes, preventing them from maturing into disease-carrying adults, as explained by Arthur Odera, Busia County Deputy Governor and CECM for Health & Sanitation.

SC Johnson’s involvement extends beyond the LSM initiative. The company has funded the rehabilitation of a health center in Malaba, transforming it into a center of excellence for malaria prevention and control, particularly for border communities.

Earlier this year, SC Johnson also launched high-speed manufacturing lines at its Nairobi plant to produce SC Johnson Guardian™, a spatial repellent designed to reduce mosquito presence.

At full capacity, the plant is expected to produce up to 20 million units annually, distributed free of charge through public health channels.

Isaac Maluki, a Member of the End Malaria Council, emphasized the importance of local manufacturing in the fight against malaria, stating, “We are exploring ways to promote the local production of biolarvicides, mosquito nets, and other essential tools.”

Busia County, which has the highest malaria transmission rate in Kenya, has adopted advanced technologies such as drones to spray biolarvicides like Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) and Bacillus sphaericus. These drones can carry 30 liters of larvicide and cover over 25 hectares per flight, ensuring even the most inaccessible breeding sites are treated. The biolarvicides are safe for humans and animals and are certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya’s Ministry of Health.

Malaria remains a critical public health issue in Busia, with prevalence rates six times higher than the national average and three times higher than other lake-endemic counties. The disease accounts for 40% of outpatient visits and 2% of all deaths in the region. To address this, Busia has implemented a robust malaria control program, including Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), malaria vaccination, case management, and social behavior change initiatives.

Despite these efforts, Kenya faces significant funding challenges in its malaria fight. Chris Getonga, Chairman of the End Malaria Council, stressed the need for shared strategies, resource mobilization, and collaboration to achieve the Kenya Malaria Strategy’s goals.

SC Johnson has already committed over $10 million to advance spatial repellents, fund malaria prevention education, and build new health clinics in rural communities. The company’s long-term goal is to manufacture and process repellents locally, further supporting Kenya’s efforts to eliminate malaria.

For decades, global health procurement – on which over six billion people depend – has mostly relied on one system: centralized multilateral institutions pooling donor funding to purchase and distribute medicines across low- and middle-income countries.

While this model has delivered significant successes in certain regions and therapeutic areas, it has simultaneously perpetuated inefficiencies, including bureaucratic hurdles, misaligned priorities, inflexible procurement processes, and an unsustainable reliance on external philanthropic funding.

Now, this system is unraveling.

 The recent dramatic pullback in funding from major donors, such as USAID and the UK Government, has dealt a severe blow to global health initiatives, forcing deep budget cuts across multilateral organizations. The consequences are not abstract – they will be measured in lost lives. In Kenya, 1.4 million people living with HIV are at risk as $34 million worth of antiretroviral medicine shipments remain stranded in warehouses.

In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, over 2.4 million people who relied on USAID for food now face critical shortages, with hunger accelerating the spread of preventable diseases. In Uganda, malaria deaths, already a leading cause of child mortality, are set to rise as mosquito control and treatment programs collapse. Across multiple countries, the withdrawal of the

U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has left millions without access to HIV testing, treatment, or even basic prevention.

For too long, medicine procurement has been driven by well-intentioned foreign budgets rather than by the needs of local communities. When this external aid disappears, medicines vanish alongside it, leaving entire health systems vulnerable and struggling to cope. The continent of Africa, for example, still bears 24% of the world’s disease burden, yet houses only 1% of global health expenditure. Less than half of Africans – just 48% – can access the healthcare services they need.

These are not temporary challenges; it is a systemic failure that demands urgent and radical change. The current funding crisis is not the origin of the problem; rather, it simply accelerates an issue that has persisted for decades.

I wonder, has the system crumbled enough to finally compel us to rethink medicine procurement entirely? What if, instead of clinging to a crumbling multilateral model, we embraced a decentralized yet coordinated, market-driven approach? Or, as our CEO Emmanuel has called it, a ‘co-ordilateral’ approach?

It is time we dared to imagine, and build, a world where fragmented, inefficient procurement cycles are replaced by digital platforms that match demand and supply in real-time, eliminating costly delays and unnecessary complexities. A world that moves beyond slow, top-down interventions driven by foreign political forces, toward procurement that is market-responsive, with empowered governments equipped with the right technology and affordable capital to make the right decisions.

At Axmed we are building the infrastructure to propel this shift. Our groundbreaking B2B marketplace connects healthcare procurers with pre-qualified manufacturers, digitally coordinating national and international at-scale pooled procurement. It lays the foundation for a co-ordilateral world—one that fosters transparency, unlocks innovative financing, and digitizes LMICs’ purchasing power, delivering economies of scale that drive affordability for procurers and efficiency for manufacturers, transforming the way medicines get sourced and distributed. The outdated, manual procurement systems are no longer defensible when technology offers a smarter, faster, and more resilient alternative.

The urgency of this transition was evident at the recent Axmed Access Summit in Nairobi, themed “Unlocking Access, Transforming Lives.” Unlike traditional forums, it took a bold, solutions-driven stance, confronting structural barriers and proposing radical new strategies to improve medicine availability, affordability, and quality across the continent.

By convening leaders with the power to act – government leaders, healthcare procurers, business executives, and civil society – the summit underscored a fundamental shift: moving away from reliance on multilateral systems toward localized, accountable action, empowering individual market players who can drive real change.

For too long, Africa’s healthcare challenges have been framed as insurmountable. While deep-rooted barriers such as market fragmentation, regulatory complexity, supply chain inefficiencies, weak infrastructure, and financial constraints persist, real targeted solutions already exist. Technology- enabled platforms, digital pooled procurement, data-driven forecasting, and new financing mechanisms are no longer theoretical concepts; they are active interventions reshaping healthcare systems.

The pullback in donor funding should not be seen as an excuse for inaction; rather, it is a catalyst for transformation. The resolve shown by stakeholders in response to the recent funding crunch presents a unique opportunity for coordinated, meaningful change .

By treating healthcare as a fundamental right and embracing data-driven, tech-enabled, anticipatory business models, we can ensure more medicines reach those who need them, when they need them.

Africa’s healthcare market represents an opportunity exceeding $300 billion in the coming years. No patient should have to walk miles for medicine; no child should suffer from preventable inaccessibility. Too many lives are lost; not because medicines are unavailable, but because they remain trapped in supply chains designed for aid rather than sustainable, long-term access.

Unprecedented progress will not come from clinging to a past that may never return. It will come from smart, tech-driven coordination, direct market engagement, and stakeholders taking full ownership of the solution and taking decisive action to innovate.

We can fix this. Technology, ideas, and frameworks to make this shift happen already exist. What is missing? The decisive determination of stakeholders to break free from outdated systems and embrace smarter, faster, market-enabled solutions. Radical change will come from bold leaders committed to transforming the system, starting today.

A severe health crisis is unfolding in Kenya’s informal settlements following the sudden withdrawal of U.S. aid, leaving thousands without access to critical care.

The international nonprofit CFK Africa, which has long empowered youth and provided public health services in these communities, is grappling with the fallout of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding freeze.

The abrupt cutoff, which occurred in January, has led to widespread layoffs and disrupted decades of efforts to combat diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.

Patients are now flocking to CFK Africa’s clinics, anxious about their future care. Many are stockpiling medications, fearing the worst.

Eddah Ogogo, CFK Africa’s Program Lead for Clinical Services, described the desperation among patients. “Some are asking if they will die,” she said.

They’re seeking longer prescriptions and planning for a future without care.

The funding cuts have thrown CFK Africa’s operations into chaos. Clinics are overwhelmed with patients who previously relied on USAID-funded programs, now shuttered.

Staff are uncertain how to communicate the situation to those they serve, and access to vital data has been severely limited.

Jeffrey Okoro, CFK Africa’s Executive Director, emphasized the broader implications of the aid withdrawal. “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about aid work. It’s not just about resources—it’s about restoring dignity and reducing suffering,” he said.

We’re doing everything we can to reassure our patients and stay focused on our mission. Our communities come first.

As the situation grows more dire, officials are urging the Kenyan government and other NGOs to step in to fill the gap left by USAID. For now, CFK Africa remains committed to its mission, even as the road ahead remains uncertain.

Boehringer Ingelheim, a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, has partnered with Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) to expand its ‘Access to Healthcare’ program in Kenya.

The collaboration seeks to enhance access to affordable medications for patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, while strengthening local healthcare capacity.

Launched in 2022, the program has already engaged 200 physicians, enrolled 1,500 patients, and partnered with 15 healthcare facilities.

MEDS and Boehringer Ingelheim aims to deepen its impact and reach more underserved communities across Kenya. The initiative also includes awareness campaigns to educate the public about these non-communicable diseases, promoting early diagnosis and treatment.

Derek O’Leary, Regional Managing Director at Boehringer Ingelheim, stated, “This partnership with MEDS is a testament to our shared vision of making quality healthcare accessible to all. We are committed to delivering hope and transforming lives through innovative solutions and collaboration.”

Hale Asikogllu-Erkol, Head of Sustainable Development for Generations, added, “Our Sustainable Development for Generations framework is about creating long-term value and improving lives. This partnership with MEDS is a step toward achieving our goal of expanding healthcare access for 50 million people globally by 2030.”

Dr. Stephen Kigera of MEDS noted, “We are excited to work with Boehringer Ingelheim to provide cutting-edge treatments and improve health outcomes for patients in Kenya. Together, we aim to build a healthier future for generations to come.”

This partnership underscores Boehringer Ingelheim’s dedication to addressing NCDs and advancing global health equity, ensuring that no one is left behind in accessing essential healthcare.

Private hospitals in Kenya, represented by the Rural and Urban Private Hospitals Association of Kenya (RUPHA), announced the suspension of medical services to teachers, police officers, and other civil servants.

The decision, effective Monday, February 24, 2025, is in response to unpaid insurance claims accumulated over the past year.

RUPHA’s Deputy Chairperson, Rev Joseph Kariuki, emphasized that the insurer responsible for these groups has failed to settle outstanding payments, placing a substantial financial strain on member hospitals.

“We will stop providing medical services to police and teachers using the government insurance from Monday,” Rev Kariuki stated, underscoring the necessity of immediate payment resolution.

The situation may worsen as RUPHA also warned of extending this suspension to patients covered under the Social Health Authority (SHA), should payment issues persist.

SHA, which replaced the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), has similarly faced delays in settling dues, potentially depriving thousands of civil servants and SHA beneficiaries of essential healthcare services in private facilities nationwide.

This move highlights the growing financial challenges within Kenya’s healthcare system, urging prompt governmental intervention to prevent further escalation and ensure continued access to vital medical care.