Medical Services PS Dr Oluga Ouma speaks during the high-level event on sickle cell disease during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York./HANDOUTKenya has unveiled plans to make sickle cell screening mandatory in routine maternal and child health visits.This bold step is aimed at ensuring no child is left behind. The announcement was delivered by the Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga.Oluga represented President William Ruto at a high-level event on sickle cell disease during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. Dr Oluga decried the neglect of sickle cell disease, noting that millions of…
Author: by Magdalene Saya
Head of Family Health at the Ministry Dr Bashir Issak during the inauguration of the National Advisory Committee for the National Baseline Mental Health Survey./HANDOUTThe Ministry of Health has inaugurated the National Advisory Committee for the National Baseline Mental Health Survey.The landmark initiative is set to provide Kenya with its first nationally representative data on the burden of mental health conditions. The committee will be chaired by the Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth.It will provide oversight and strategic direction for the survey.Head of Family Health at the Ministry Dr Bashir Issak said the study responds to a critical gap…
Health CS Adan Duale holds the validation certificate from the World Health Organization on August 8, 2025/HANDOUTWhen sleeping sickness first emerged in Kenya in the early 1900s, it arrived as a mystery wrapped in fear.There were many sleeping sickness patients, bitten by a tsetse fly, a very small fly carrying the parasite that steals people’s consciousness.Families watched their loved ones sleep slowly and gradually into coma, and many of them actually died. It was called sleeping sickness.Communities lived under the shadow that they could not really fully understand, nor effectively combat.Despite the fear and confusion, Kenya refused to surrender. More…
Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi speaks during the official opening of the Operation African Star 2 workshop in Nairobi on July 10, 2025/HANDOUTEast African countries have been challenged to urgently strengthen regulated pharmaceutical supply chains and intensify joint efforts to curb the trade in illicit health products and technologies. Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi on Thursday warned that the rise in counterfeit, diverted, and illegally imported medicines poses a growing threat to public health, regional security, and economic stability.Siyoi was speaking during the official opening of the Operation African Star…
Kenya has been designated as one of seven countries to host an Ocean Centre as part of a groundbreaking global initiative launched by the United Nations Global Compact in partnership with Lloyd’s Register Foundation. The Kenya Ocean Centre will serve as a national platform to address challenges of safety, equity, and sustainability within the country’s ocean industries. Hosted locally by the Global Compact Network Kenya, the Centre will bring together key voices from the coastal region, private sector, civil society and government. It aims to strengthen safety, resilience, and inclusion across Kenya’s blue economy—from small-scale fisheries and offshore energy to…
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu /FILEKenyans may soon be spared the burden of traveling long distances to apply for or renew police clearance certificates – commonly known as certificates of good conduct – thanks to a drive by senators to automate the process.The proposed development follows a motion led by Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, calling for the creation and implementation of an automated certification system for the documents.“The National Police Service Commission, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, should develop and implement an automated good conduct certification system designed to streamline the issuance, renewal and verification of these certificates,” Nyutu…
Dr Evelyn Muthoka, a consultant obstetrician gynaecologist and high intensity focused ultrasound (Hifu) specialist, explains how she treats patients at the Nairobi Hifu Centre /HandoutRita (not her name) has been recovering at home after undergoing treatment for fibroids in February.She had suffered from excessive bleeding and abdominal bloating for approximately seven years.She is among several patients who have undergone high intensity focused ultrasound (Hifu) ablation, a groundbreaking non-invasive technology now being used to treat uterine fibroids in Kenya.”I feel okay because the procedure went on very well and it was seamless, and I have had an easy recovery period,” Rita…
Nurses light candles during the ceremony to mark the end of International Nurses Week at the Nairobi Hospital on May 13, 2025/HandoutHealth facilities have been challenged to go beyond the rhetoric of celebration and institute structures and systems that empower nurses.Speaking during a ceremony held at The Nairobi Hospital to mark the end of International Nurses Week, Daystar University Dean of Nursing Dr Susan Njuguna said the nurses’ support systems include adequate staffing, access to emotional support, and effective mechanisms for service delivery.Njuguna, who was the keynote speaker during the ceremony, acknowledged that general systemic issues, such as health financing and infrastructure…
Medical Services PS Dr Ouma Oluga speaks during the Kenya Diabetes Study Group’s Annual Conference 2025 in Naivasha/HandoutHealth experts have raised concern that several diabetic cases in the country go undiagnosed.The increasing prevalence of diabetes in Kenya was the focus of the ongoing Kenya Diabetes Study Group’s Annual Conference 2025.According to Ministry of Health data shared at the forum, an estimated 800,000 Kenyans are currently diagnosed with diabetes.Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga has said that the actual number of cases is believed to be significantly higher, potentially over two million, due to undiagnosed individuals. “Many patients are only diagnosed…
Medical Services PS Dr Ouma Oluga speaking during the official opening of the 10th Annual Scientific Conference of the Kenya Diabetes Study Group (KDSG) in Naivasha/HandoutMedical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga has emphasised the importance of health education in addressing the growing burden of diabetes in Kenya. Speaking during the official opening of the 10th Annual Scientific Conference of the Kenya Diabetes Study Group (KDSG) in Naivasha, Dr Oluga highlighted the Ministry of Health’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and improve early detection and management of diabetes, particularly at the community level. “We have made significant progress in public…
Medical Services PS Ouma Oluga when he met the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS) team on May 6, 2025./HandoutThe Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga has called for strategic reforms in Kenya’s blood transfusion and transplant services. Dr Oluga emphasised the critical role that a reliable blood supply plays in advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and reducing maternal mortality. Oluga was speaking when he met the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS) team on Tuesday.Oluga stressed the importance of efficient planning, optimised supply chains, and equipment modernisation to ensure safe and consistent blood availability across the…
Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga and Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth during the meeting/HandoutCommodity security remains central to the delivery of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr Ouma Oluga has said.Oluga has further called for renewed leadership, innovation, and alignment in the management of Health Products and Technologies (HPTs). Speaking during a strategic meeting with the Directorate of Health Products and Technologies, the PS emphasised the urgency of building resilient systems. “Health Products and Technologies management and local manufacturing are key. Our experience with centrally managed commodities—such as cancer drugs and COVID-19…
Kenya Diabetes Study Group (KDSG) President and Consultant Physician, Endocrinologist, Dr Rosslyn Ngugi/HandoutThe Kenya Diabetes Study Group (KDSG) will mark a decade of engagement in diabetes care with its 10th Annual conference, a 4-day Celebration event beginning on May 7 in Naivasha.Themed “A Decade in Diabetes Care,” the 2025 event comes at a critical time, as Kenya and the wider region grapple with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Diabetes, in particular, remains a significant public health challenge, with rising cases reported across both urban and rural areas. Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body is unable to…
Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge/HANDOUTWorld marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has thanked his fans for cheering him on during the London marathon on Sunday.Kipchoge who finished sixth in the marathon, said he will leave London ‘motivated and happy’.”In sport, as in life, not every attempt turns into victory, but each one brings meaning. I leave London motivated, happy, and hungry for what comes next,” Kipchoge said.”Thank you for all your cheers on the course. This race and these fans have the biggest place in my heart. Running is a movement.”Kipchoge is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time.He was prominent at…
Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu on April 26, 2025/HandoutMedical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga on Saturday visited Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH).His visit follows the Cabinet’s approval of the hospital’s transition to a national corporation on March 11, 2025. The visit focused on assessing service delivery, staffing levels, infrastructure, equipment, and financial liabilities to support a smooth transition to national management. This follows earlier assessments by the Kenya Medical Practitioners Council (KMPC) and the Kenya Health Professionals Oversight Authority (KHPOA), which categorised JOOTRH…
President William Ruto during the funeral service of Pope Francis in the Vatican on April 26, 2025/PCSPresident William Ruto on Saturday joined other high-ranking world leaders to bid farewell to Pope Francis.Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, was laid to rest on Saturday in a ceremony which was attended by thousands of mourners.Ruto joined world leaders and Catholic faithful who had travelled from across the globe to pay their final respects to the late pontiff.Pope Francis died of a stroke and subsequent irreversible heart failure, the Vatican has said.In a statement, the Vatican said the Pope’s death…
Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga when he met heads of directorates at the Ministry of Health on April 22, 2025/HandoutMedical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga has urged heads of directorates at the Ministry of Health to demonstrate strong leadership and commitment in delivering the Ministry of Health’s national agenda.Oluga who held a strategic meeting with the heads on Tuesday, emphasised the need to focus on advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and strengthening essential health services. During the meeting, Oluga emphasised the importance of aligning activities with policy frameworks, conducting regular reviews, and championing change.This, he said, should…