KMPDC officials said dentists in Kenya face no consequences when they abandon their public duties to earn more in private practice. Dentists in Kenya appear to have taken moonlighting to another level. A new analysis from the University of Nairobi reveals that most of those employed in public hospitals routinely skip duties to work in private clinics during official working hours, without facing any repercussions. The culture is driven by financial need, dysfunctional public hospitals, and the fact that there are no consequences for stealing work hours.The findings, published in Frontiers in Health Services, note that dentists mostly work in outpatient…
Author: by JOHN MUCHANGI
A mother plays with her young son in the Kenyan village of Mwea. Photo/Gates Foundation.The Gates Foundation has announced a record-breaking $2.5 billion (KSh322.5 billion) investment over the next five years to advance women’s health research and development.This is the largest commitment of its kind in history, and Kenya is expected to be a significant beneficiary of the initiative.The initiative will fund more than 40 innovations focused on improving the health of women and girls across low- and middle-income countries.The announcement was made on August 4 during a global media briefing hosted by the Foundation. The funding will accelerate research…
An image of a pill camera that a patient swallows. It is excreted alongside waste and cannot be reused. It costs about Sh50,000.Would you swallow a video camera? Well, 72 Kenyans did, and this is what doctors found.Over five years, a clinic in Nairobi quietly led one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s first diagnoses using a video capsule endoscopy (VCE). This is a pill camera that patients swallow, to allow doctors to see deep inside the small intestine, a section that traditional scopes often miss.The Nairobi results, recently published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine, are eye-opening not just for what the…
Of the 314 total cases in 2025 in Kenya, most were reported in just the past six weeks, with five deaths during that time.Mpox cases in Kenya have risen nearly four times since April, pointing to a quiet but steady surge.The World Health Organization and the Ministry if Health said Kenya had reported 314 mpox cases by July 27, up from 68 in April this year. The sharpest increase occurred in July. At least five Kenyans died of the disease in June and July, the WHO said in its latest Mpox Multi-country External Situation Report No. 56.The most affected counties are Mombasa with…
Blood donation. “Hospitals should start using diversion pouches — small bags that collect the first few millilitres of blood, which often carry skin bacteria. These should be discarded before the main collection begins.”Collince Ogolla was 28 years old when, as a laboratory technologist, he was assigned to a Regional Blood Transfusion Centre during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like the other 54 professionals in his cohort, he arrived with hope, proud to serve the country at a time of crisis.But it didn’t take long for his excitement to give way to unease.He handled bags of donated blood every day — matching types, processing…
Lawyer Katwa Kigen, Mediheal group of hospitals founder and chairman Mishra Kiprop and lawyer Peter Oiboo during a briefing with the media at Boulevard hotel, Nairobi on July 29, 2025 /LEAH MUKANGAIMediheal founder Dr Swarrup Mishra says he is ready to carry the cross in the ongoing investigations into alleged unethical kidney transplants at his private hospital.“If Mishra and Mediheal are really the culprits, we carry the cross,” he told journalists at a press conference in Nairobi on Tuesday.The Ministry of Health committee on kidney transplants released a report earlier this month recommending the prosecution of Dr Mishra and three…
Nairobi County clinical officers in a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi on April 30, 2025. They have the highest unemployment rate of any health cadre/DOUGLAS OKIDDYKenya’s Clinical Officers have won a major boost after the United Kingdom last week affirmed they can work there as Physician Associates (PAs).UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) had in January announced that Clinical Officers from Kenya and 14 other countries could register to practice as PAs, placing them alongside nurses and doctors, who have long sought better-paying jobs in Britain.However, the migration process was suspended until the end of an ongoing independent review of the roles…
IVF Illustration/ GeminiMany women in Kenya are turning to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as a solution to infertility, but their chances of success are often diminished by one critical factor: age.Although fertility clinics in the country report reasonable success rates for younger women, a large number of patients only seek treatment after age 35, when the quality of eggs has already declined and IVF becomes less effective, fertility expert Dr Kireki Omanwa told the Star.“The success rate varies and depends on many things. It depends on the age of the patient, especially the lady. The success rate starts dropping after…
A family in rural Kenya. The real tragedy with most deaths? Almost every death in this grim calendar can be delayed or prevented. To be born in Kenya is to begin a life full of promise and risk. Each stage of life brings its dangers. There’s the breath that fails a newborn, the fever that takes a toddler, the accident that ends a youth’s dream, the cancer that cuts a breadwinner’s life short.As the Kenya Vital Statistics Report 2024 shows, these deaths do not come as a surprise. They follow a cruel pattern that shadows Kenyans from their first cry to…
A third of employed Kenyan nurses plan to ditch the profession completely. They cite poor salaries, heavy workloads, lack of respect and a workplace culture that does little to support them. As thousands of Kenyans prepare to join nursing school this year, a third of employed nurses are quietly planning a complete exit from the profession, a new survey suggests.Nursing is one of the most sought-after courses in the country, according to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), the body responsible for placing students in tertiary institutions.It was among the four most applied-for courses by students joining…
The then President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto receive medical equipment procured through the Managed Equipment Services (MES) Project at State House, Nairobi on February 6, 2015. Also present was then Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, Director of Medical Services Dr Nicholas Muraguri and Cheng Minghe of Mindray Megascope Health Care.In early 2016, staff at the Thika Level 5 Hospital watched in awe as a CT Scan machine whirred to life for the first time inside the hospital.Patients no longer needed to seek such services in private facilities. Similar scenes unfolded across the country. This was the Managed Equipment…
Children infested with jiggers. Until now, the tools available to fight jiggers have been limited. Treatment mostly involves painful physical removal of fleas, crude antiseptics, and chemicals that can be ineffective or harmful.In a world-first accomplishment, Kenyan researchers have cracked the complete genetic make up of a jigger’s engine.This engine, known as the mitochondrial DNA, is a small but powerful part of the flea’s DNA. It controls how the flea’s body makes the energy it needs to move, grow, and stay alive.The scientists said they can now figure out how to turn off the engine and stop the flea in its…
In Kenya, once a person has been declared brain dead, you can’t sign a death certificate until they are off the life-support machine. Dead but alive. That was the status of Kenyan mask-vendor Boniface Kariuki, whom doctors declared brain dead last week. Kariuki spent nearly two weeks on a life-support machine, before his family was told by doctors that his heart was still beating but his brain had ceased to function.”Mwangi is confirmed brain dead. We know what it means. We are just waiting for the doctor to tell us he is no more,” family spokesperson Emily Wanjira said on Sunday.The family…
Most donkey carts are built with a single shaft that attaches directly to the donkey’s neck.They do not complain. They don’t protest. They just keep walking. But new research shows Kenya’s donkeys are paying a heavy price for their work. In Meru County alone, almost half the donkeys pulling carts have crushed windpipes — all because of poorly made harnesses.The trouble starts with a simple design flaw. Most donkey carts are built with a single shaft that attaches directly to the donkey’s neck. This puts the entire weight of the load, which can be up to 700 kilogrammes, right on…
The Kenyatta National Hospital. Fines for breaching patient safety could reach Sh50 million and offenders may be jailed for up to ten years.On paper, the proposed patient safety law looks great. It guarantees your safety in health facilities, and imposes up to Sh50 million in fines on errant health facilities.But some health workers lobbies are already opposed to it saying it duplicates existing laws and would create loopholes for corruption.We look at what to expect should the new Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill become law.The Ministry of Health mooted the law mid last year and unveiled the draft last week.The…
A patient with Mpox. Kenya reported the first case on July 29 , 2024, at the Taita Taveta County border with Tanzania. Nearly a quarter of people diagnosed with mpox in Kenya are HIV-positive, with evidence suggesting that untreated HIV increases both disease severity and the risk of death.A new analysis of all the cases reported between July last year and February 2025 also indicates most patients (62 per cent) reported genital wounds, which means the disease was sexually transmitted.Kenyan health officials conducted 447 tests within this period and confirmed 48 cases, according to the analysis conducted by the Ministry of…
Employees are not just expected to perform; they are expected to embody faith, joy, and patience at all times.Mockery. Backbiting. Dictatorship. You might not expect these words to describe a religious workplace, but for many religious workers, they are part of daily life.A new study has found that these toxic behaviours are rife in the very places meant to offer peace and refuge, pushing pastors and church staff into emotional exhaustion, health problems, and even thoughts of quitting altogether.And because the work is seen as a “calling,” speaking out or seeking help can feel like betrayal, says a new study…
Members of tobacco control in Kenya at the meeting organised by NTA in Nairobi.The civil society has condemned a dalliance between the Ministry of Health and the tobacco industry, following revelations that the ministry may have written to the BAT-Kenya asking it to sponsor a health event.The National Taxpayers Association (NTA) and the Kenya Tobacco Control and Health Promotion (Ketca), the umbrella body for tobacco control advocacy organisations in Kenya, said this breaches Kenya’s Tobacco Control Act, 2007, and Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which Kenya ratified in 2004.The letter dated May 7, 2025, appears…
Anopheles Stephensi is resistant to all classes of insecticides used against adult malaria vectors in eastern Africa. THE invasive Anopheles Stephensi mosquito, which was first was detected in Marsabit and Turkana in 2022, has now infested nearly the entire northern Kenya, public health officials report.It has been confirmed in five additional counties and officials predict the mosquito has spread to 12 other counties at the coast, central, eastern and Rift Valley.The finding is critical because stephensi is reported to be resistant to all classes of insecticides used against adult malaria vectors in Kenya.“In addition to the initial detections in Marsabit and Turkana counties,…
A patient in Narok West receives treatment during the Better Together Mara medical camp organised by Lifecare International and its partners.EVEN if a specialist were offering free or subsidised health services in rural Kenya, punishing distances would prevent thousands of patients who need such services from accessing them, experts say.The national average distance to the nearest public health facility in Kenya is about 9km, and about 50km in remote counties like Mandera, West Pokot, Garissa, and Wajir.This is according to the Kenyan Health Sector Strategic Plan, which recommends no more than 5km (or one hour) walking distance to such facilities.“Many…
Surgical salary or family life? Studies show many women do not advance to specialised medical training in rates comparable to those of men.While women now constitute the majority of Kenya’s health workers, that lead evaporates as you move to degree and post-graduate levels.Specifically, elite medical fields like surgery and dentistry remain male-dominated, revealing a persistent gender imbalance in the country’s healthcare workforce.According to the 2025 EconomicSurvey, women accounted for 67.2 per cent of graduates from the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in 2023/24, a significant increase from 63 per cent in 2019/20. KMTC offers diploma and certificate courses.This surge is…
Multiple studies confirm that higher taxes often lead to a drop in consumption of tobacco.Revenue from tobacco taxes in Kenya has actually reduced by nearly half in the last ten years when inflation is taken into account, the World Bank has said.The bank said all tobacco taxes amount to just 17 per cent of the total annual health taxes, also called sin taxes, in Kenya.“Currently, health taxes generate meaningful – but declining – tax revenues in Kenya. Alcohol and tobacco tax revenues have declined by 6 and 39 percent respectively, in real terms, between 2016 and 2023,” the bank said.A…
The scientists identified three popular potato varieties grown in Kenya –Shangi, Sherekea, and Wanjiku – which can carry the cholera vaccine.Imagine biting into a potato and getting vaccinated. No needles, no pills, just immunity served on a plate.That is exactly what scientists from three Kenyan universities have proposed – turning commonly-consumed potatoes into edible cholera vaccines.The process involves inserting into the potato plant’s DNA a special bacteria that carries the vaccine gene.The potato plant then grows with the vaccine built in.They detailed this approach in their paper “Engineering local Kenyan Irish potato varieties as carriers for edible cholera vaccines” published in Discover Plant,…
The children’s cancer ward at the Kenyatta National Hospital.When Kenyan children survive cancer, the fight does not end at remission. Instead, a quieter, more insidious struggle begins – one fought in schools, communities, and even families.For 22-year-old Kevin, life after leukemia treatment was supposed to be a celebration. He had endured the agony of chemotherapy, the sting of hair loss, and the loneliness of long hospital stays. When he finally returned home to his rural village near Eldoret, the welcome was cold. “People wouldn’t shake my hand,” he said. “Some thought I could still give them cancer.”At school, some classmates…
A woman pulling water drums. The scientists found clear, measurable links between extreme weather events and increased levels of depression and suicidal thoughts.What does climate change have to do with suicide? A lot more than you might think.A new Kenyan study has found that as temperatures rise, rains disappear, and food becomes scarce, many women begin to spiral into depression, and some start thinking about ending their lives.The research, conducted in Kilifi County, shows that the combined stress of extreme weather and food insecurity increases suicidal ideation by nearly half.The study, led by experts from the Brain and Mind Institute at…
Dr Pranav Pancholi is a cosmetic dermatologist in Nairobi. Since his childhood, Pranav Pancholi knew that he wanted to be a medical doctor.Today as a cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Pancholi offers procedures such as getting rid of wrinkles, stretchmarks, warts, skin tags, skin discoloration and any similar blemishes.He is a member of the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine, American Academy of Dermatology, and serves as an advisor on for the American Board of Laser surgery for Sub-Saharan Africa.He holds a Master’s Degree in Skin Cancer from the University of Queensland in Australia. He is also a fellow in dermatology at Harvard Medical School.He…
A researcher in a laboratory. Most people said they want scientists to play a more active role in public life and to work closely with politicians.Kenyans trust scientists more than most people in the world, according to a sweeping global survey.The study, which involved over 71,000 participants from 68 countries, ranked Kenya fourth globally in trust in scientists – trailing only Egypt, India, and Nigeria, and coming ahead of countries like the United States, China and most of Europe.This is the most extensive post-pandemic examination of public trust in science. The authors describe it as an effort to understand “how much people around…
Bill Gates giving his address on Monday in Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union in Addis Ababa.Bill Gates has announced that the majority of his $200 billion spend over the next 20 years will go to Africa.He said the Gates Foundation, which he chairs, will focus on partnering with governments that prioritise the health and wellbeing of their people.He spoke on Monday in Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union in Addis Ababa.Gates urged African leaders to seize the moment to accelerate progress in health and development through innovation and partnership, despite current headwinds.“I recently made a commitment that my…
Motorists drive on a flooded road following heavy rainfall in Nairobi /XINHUAResidents of Nairobi and the surrounding highlands will experience a noticeable chill as the cold season sets in. The weatherman has said the cold season is slowly settling over Nairobi and around Mt Kenya. This is premium contentSubscribe to Continue ReadingHelp us continue bringing you unbiased news, in-depth investigations, and diverse perspectives. Your subscription keeps our mission alive and empowers us to provide high-quality, trustworthy journalism. Join us today to make a difference!Already Subscribed? Sign in Published Date: 2025-05-31 05:04:28 Author: by JOHN MUCHANGI Source: The Star
A mosquito that transmits malaria causing parasite. Scientists say malaria doesn’t just attack, it conditions you to lose.Children exposed to malaria in early childhood appear to carry those scars into adult life.Experts who followed nearly 2,000 children in Kilifi for 15 years, have found that early malaria infections can reprogramme the immune system to tolerate rather than fight infections.It is as if malaria leaves behind a quiet command: “Don’t fight too hard.” And that silent order can haunt the body for years.Even into their teenage years, the immune systems of these children still struggle. Their bodies produce fewer protective antibodies…
Prof Fredrick Manthi in his field research at a site called Kanapoi 3 in Turkana County. Photo/Leakey Foundation.By examining fossils, Prof Fredrick Kyalo Manthi helps us understand how life on Earth has evolved over time. He is a leading Kenyan palaeontologist and the Director of Antiquities, Sites, and Monuments at the National Museums of Kenya. Born and raised in Makueni County, he last month became only the second Kenyan ever inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the United States. This is one of the highest honours a scientist can achieve worldwide. Palaeontology is the study of…
The girl was quiet, withdrawn, and showed little emotion during hospital visits. Photo/ Freepik.For 11 long months, the wounds on the abdomen of a high school student in Nairobi continued to fester.She had undergone a laparoscopic surgery on her pelvis wall to treat endometriosis. The surgery involves tiny incisions, the kind that usually disappear within days. But for this 17-year-old student, they remained open, raw, and oozing. Medics had cleaned and dressed them at every hospital visit. Still, they would not close.“She experienced multiple re-admissions, sometimes a month or two apart, for persistent abdominal pain and nonhealing laparoscopic port sites,…
The researchers strongly recommended continuation of male circumcision as a tool in HIV prevention.Between 2008 and 2019, nearly two million Kenyan men and boys were voluntarily circumcised in the world’s largest and probably most successful circumcision campaign to prevent HIV. The campaign was informed by three trials conducted in 2005 and 2006, showing that circumcised men were about 60 per cent less likely to get HIV through sex with women compared to men who were uncut. But this evidence came from randomised-controlled trials, which are done in carefully controlled settings with selected participants. Real life can be messy and more…
The WHO says the dangerous, industrially produced trans fats are present in many formulations of margarine used as spread on bread.The World Health Organization (WHO) this week recognised four countries for their efforts in eliminating industrially produced trans fats from their food supplies. Kenya was not among them.While Kenya has Legal Notice No. 115 of 2015 under the Food, Drugs, and Chemical Substances Act (CAP 254), which addresses trans fat regulation, its enforcement remains a challenge due to the lack of specified limits on industrially produced trans fats (iTFAs).The four countries that were recognised have implemented best-practice policies alongside effective…
The agreement follows years of negotiations sparked by the devastating impact of Covid-19, where rich nations bought and hoarded nearly all available vaccine doses.Kenya was among the 124 nations that on Tuesday voted to adopt the main text of a legally binding World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement aimed at preventing, preparing for, and responding to future pandemics.The agreement follows years of negotiations sparked by the devastating impact of Covid-19, where rich nations bought and hoarded nearly all available vaccine doses.The treaty introduces the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system to guarantee that countries contributing virus samples also receive fair…
Leaders at the high-level consultative meeting held Tuesday in Nairobi, organised by the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem), the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), and other stakeholders.Faith leaders are key players in Kenya’s battle against HIV, stigma and improving health-seeking behavior, according to discussions at an ongoing meeting. The high-level consultative meeting was held Tuesday in Nairobi, where the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem), the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), and other stakeholders joined forces to chart a faith-integrated path for public health action.The meeting underscored the growing consensus that religious institutions are not merely spiritual sanctuaries but potent platforms…
Dr Irene Mageto, an assistant professor and lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi. Photo/ DOUGLAS OKIDDYIrene Mageto’s advice to Kenyans struggling to get into nursing school, is to not be ashamed to start anywhere. She began her nursing career with a basic certificate in early 1990s then later went back to school, and became the first nurse in Kenya to earn a PhD in Forensic Nursing. Dr Mageto is now an assistant professor and lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Aga Khan University in Nairobi.She spoke with…
Potato farmers in Nyahururu sell their crop after a bumper harvest.You may be getting more than you bargained for with the famous cash crop of Nyandarua –potatoes.Most of these fat tubers come loaded with residues of banned pesticides and boiling them will not help much, researchers from Egerton University warn.Millicent Kanario, and her two senior colleagues from the university’s Department of Dairy and Food Science and Technology, have traced the problem down to the farms.They visited 275 randomly selected potato farmers in Nyandarua County and nearly all of them (98.8 per cent) used synthetic pesticides.Most farmers used synthetic pesticides regularly, sometimes even weekly, and many mixed different types together. Only 12 per…
CEO of the Gates Foundation Mark Suzman during the interview with journalists on May 8, 2025.Philanthropist Bill Gates last week announced he will give away virtually all his wealth, through the Gates Foundation, which will shut completely on December 31, 2045.He said the foundation will give away $200 billion over the next 20 years. The amount includes Gates’ own future contributions and balance of the foundation’s endowment. This is double the $100 billion that the foundation has donated since it was founded in 2000.Following this announcement, the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer MARK SUZMAN held conference call with select journalists from…
Women who are afraid of their intimate partners are significantly more likely to engage in regular exercise, the study suggested.If you see someone hitting the gym more often than usual, she might not just be chasing fitness goals – she could be trying to cope with fear at home.That is the provocative insight from a new study which analysed data from over 5,000 women in Kenya.According to researchers, women who were afraid of their intimate partners were significantly more likely to engage in regular exercise, suggesting that physical activity may be more than just a health habit; it may be…
Although more boys than girls are born every year in Kenya, men die sooner and are buried in larger numbers until age 75, the survey indicates.In Kenya, the journey from the first cry to the final breath is shaped by more than fate. Men begin in bigger numbers but they also leave sooner and in larger numbers. For women like Anna, the journey lingers on.The Kenya Economic Survey 2025 maps this lifeline, revealing entrenched inequalities that follows Kenyans until their last breath. Anna and her future husband Emilio were born in the village in approximately 1950. They have ten grandchildren. The…
RFH Healthcare flagship hospital in Ruai. Ruai-based RFH Healthcare has become the first hospital in the region to offer a special cancer treatment called Lutetium therapy.This therapy uses a radioactive substance, Lutetium-177, to target and kill cancer cells. It works best for people with neuroendocrine tumours and prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Neuroendocrine tumours can grow in places like the stomach, intestines, or lungs and may spread to other parts of the body.Unlike regular treatments like chemotherapy, which can affect the whole body, Lutetium therapy is more precise. It is administered through a vein…
Bill Gates at the University of Nairobi when he visited Kenya in November, 2022. He is determined he will not die a rich man.Philanthropist Bill Gates has announced he will give out nearly all his wealth through the Gates Foundation in the next 20 years, and that the Foundation will permanently close in 2045.Gates said in a post that the foundation will spend $200 billion in the remaining 20 years. This is double the $100 billion that the foundation has given out since it was founded in the year 2000.Gates, who will be 70 years old in October, said he…
A panel on African economists and policy drivers during the Evidence for Development Conference in Nairobi on May 7, 2025.A section of economists and policy drivers from across Africa have sounded an alarm over rampant financial wastage undermining the continent’s healthcare growth.They highlighted the urgent need to plug fiscal leakages, curb public sector wastage, and take bold innovative steps toward financing the continent’s healthcare development.Their calls come at a time when foreign aid flows, notably from the United States, have been shrinking exacerbating the need for homegrown solutions to solve some of the ongoing challenges.Speaking during the Evidence for Development Conference…
The fund will make targeted investments in the products, people, and systems required to improve and scale maternal and newborn health.Kenya is among ten African countries that will benefit from a $600 million initiative which aims to save more than 300,000 lives and ensure 34 million women and newborns across Africa receive quality care by 2030.The initiative, known as the Beginnings Fund was launched last week by a coalition of global philanthropies.The Fund will operate in up to 10 countries comprising Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.It will work in partnership with African governments, national organisations,…
Students in class in one of the campuses. At certificate level, the course with the highest enrolment is Orthopaedic Plaster Technology.Nursing recorded the highest enrolment at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) for the fifth consecutive year, according to the 2025 Kenya Economic Survey report.The report shows that out of the total 29,326 middle-level medical trainees enrolled last year, diploma nursing students formed the largest single group.Specifically, in the 2023/24 academic year, there are 4,825 diploma Community Health Nursing students.The second diploma course in enrolment numbers is Clinical Medicine & Surgery with 2,567 students, followed by Health Records and Information…
The KNBS data shows a persistent trend of slightly more male than female births.Kenya witnessed a notable decline in registered births in 2024, the lowest in five years, as the total number dropped to 1.11 million, according to the Kenya Economic Survey 2025. This represents a decrease from 1.19 million births recorded in 2023.The data shows a persistent trend of slightly more male than female births, with a sex ratio of 106 males for every 100 females in 2024. Notably, the number of intersex births recorded was nine, while 41 births had unstated sex.The report was released on Tuesday by…
Respiratory conditions include asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other pulmonary infections, with health officials citing air pollution and seasonal weather changes as major contributors. Nearly four out of every ten sick Kenyans who visit health facilities are diagnosed with a respiratory diseases or malaria.This is according to the Economic Survey 2025, released in Nairobi on Tuesday.Outpatient records indicate that respiratory illnesses made up 30.2 per cent of the 66.2 million total disease cases treated last year, an increase from 22.4 per cent in 2023.Such conditions include asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other pulmonary infections, with health officials citing air pollution and seasonal weather…
Facilities where most women go for Post Abortion CareClinical officers are the primary providers of post-abortion care (PAC) in Kenya.They manage more than over 51 percent of all cases. This is one of the findings of the new national study that also estimates the country saw 792,694 induced abortions in 2023, nearly double the 464,690 abortions recorded in 2013.A policy brief, titled Incidence of Induced Abortions and the Severity of Abortion-Related Complications in Kenya, based on the national study, further explains the role the clinicians play.Clinical officers, who are trained mid-level healthcare workers, handled more than half (51.5 percent) of…
Architect Mumo Musuva, the vice-chairperson of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, on April 17, 2025. Photo/ Leah Mukangai.The Nairobi River once teemed with life. But it is today the dirtiest waterway in Kenya, with nearly half its volume made up of raw sewage and industrial effluent. It is linked to disease outbreaks and deaths in the city and downstream. Various efforts to clean the river since 1999 all ended in failure. But in March, President William Ruto unveiled the biggest attempt yet: a plan to not only clean the river but also transform its banks into a green corridor of parks, walkways, markets, and social housing. Nairobi Rivers Commission vice chairperson ARCHITECT MUMO MUSUVA spoke to the Star’s…
A radiographer looks at an image of a patient with suspected oesophageal cancer. Researchers and clinicians are racing to explain why EC cancer is growing in northeastern Kenya.Yuusuf, a 42-year-old shopkeeper in Wajir town, recalls the first sign something was wrong: a persistent difficulty in swallowing.What he didn’t know then was that he, like a growing number of ethnic Somali Kenyans, was on the long, painful road of battling cancer of the oesophagus, the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach.Last year, Dr Omar Abdihamid, a clinical oncologist and cancer researcher at Garissa Cancer Center, led a study…
Kenya previously used to control rabies simply by poisoning stray dogs using strychnine, a highly toxic chemical.Kenya’s plan to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 is facing setbacks, with new research showing that vaccination coverage in one critical county is far below the critical threshold.The dog population is also increasing rapidly and is currently double the official estimates.In Machakos County, a focal area in the national rabies elimination strategy, only about 40 percent of dogs have been vaccinated against rabies – far short of the 70 percent coverage recommended by the World Health Organization to interrupt transmission.The findings,…
Dr Caroline Tonio is one of the youngest oncologists in Kenya.The median age of oncologists (doctors who specialise in cancer) in Africa, including those in Kenya, was 51 years in 2019 according to study on cancercare workforce in Africa. They were also more likely to be male. The situation gets more troubling for Kenya, where about 44,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer every year. The National Cancer Institute says Kenya had only 60 oncologists serving 54 million Kenyans in 2022.But there are new kids on the block to replace the ageing practitioners. CAROLINE TONIO, 35, is one of the youngest…
HIV infections in babies can be eliminated if pregnant women are tested for HIV and those living with the virus receive treatment, and their babies are put on drugs right after birth.A large number of women are not being tested for HIV during pregnancy, which partly contributes to the high number of babies born with the virus, data shows.Joab Khasewa, an officer with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), explained that in 2023, about 200,000 pregnant women were not tested for HIV because they did not attend antenatal clinics and gave birth at home, while others attended clinics but declined to be…
Prep comes as a pill taken daily. It reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 per cent when taken as prescribed. The first time Fatuma took HIV prevention pills, she had constant diarrhoea. She also experienced heavy menstrual flow.“So I stopped,” she says.She is a sex worker in Mombasa and uses money from her trade to finance her degree at the Technical University of Mombasa, and take care of her nine-year-old daughter.“From that time, I started insisting on my clients to use condoms,” she says. But not all complied. Some of paid more and had condomless sex.Female sex workers…
Mediheal Hospital lawyer Conrad Maloba with his team, during the media briefing in Nairobi on April 22, 2025.Some of the Kenyans allegedly paid for their kidneys have volunteered to appear before the two teams probing Mediheal Hospital, lawyers for the hospital said.Conrad Maloba, the lead lawyer for the hospital, said the donors are ready to “confirm” they were not paid to give their kidneys.Selling a body organ in Kenya is strictly prohibited under the Health Act. The only exception is reimbursement for reasonable costs incurred, such as transport and medical expenses.Maloba said they are also ready to open patient files…