Health

Kenyan MPs have invited bids for private medical insurance for themselves and their families, bypassing the SHIF scheme they publicly praised, raising questions over leadership and use of public funds.

The Health Ministry is urging stronger regional cooperation to tackle rising disease and safety risks along East Africa’s busiest transport corridors, warning that growing mobility is amplifying cross-border health threats.

Kenya registered 4,186,000 cases in 2025, up from 3,294,000 in 2024, an additional 892,000 infections.

WHO and the World Bank report 1.6 billion people pushed deeper into poverty by health costs and 4.6 billion lacking essential services, as Kenya and other nations struggle to meet UHC goals.

Duale said the framework strictly protects citizens’ privacy and focuses only on aggregate-level data, ensuring no individual medical records or identifiers are shared.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) said it has recorded 432 suspected incidents between July and September 2025, with the majority involving adults aged 18–64 years.

The Public Service Commission has extended for six months the temporary deployment of over 1,400 former NHIF staff to the Social Health Authority, amid delayed recruitment and ongoing concerns over SHA services.

Ruto witnessed the signing of a landmark agreement with the United States, securing a US$1.6 billion (Sh208 billion) investment in Kenya’s health sector over the next five years.

At the forum, an additional 15 National Health Compacts, country-led, five-year reform plans that align health and finance institutions behind measurable goals, were introduced.

Researchers analysing about 500,000 GLP-1 users report a 12% higher risk of chronic cough, possibly via worsened acid reflux. The findings matter as Ozempic and Wegovy use grows worldwide.

A Nairobi mother’s story highlights hidden hunger, where families eat enough to feel full but lack vital nutrients, raising risks of anaemia, poor growth and obesity as food costs and urban diets shift.

Parliament’s Health Committee has approved a Bill to criminalise detaining patients or bodies over unpaid medical bills in Kenya, imposing fines and jail terms while requiring lawful debt recovery.

Kenyan senators have tabled a motion urging the Health Ministry to build and equip national teaching and referral hospitals in all regions, arguing that overreliance on Nairobi facilities leads to preventable deaths.

Parliament’s Justice Committee has backed a bill to scrap Kenya’s law criminalising suicide attempts, urging a shift to health-based care and stronger mental health services nationwide.

Under the deal, the United States will provide US$1.6 billion (Sh208 billion) over five years, while Kenya will contribute approximately US$850 million (Sh110.04 billion) from domestic resources.

Kenya and the US have signed a Sh220 billion health cooperation and data sharing deal. Officials say only anonymised, aggregated data will be shared under Kenyan law, aiming for a self-reliant health system.

Kenya and the US have signed a $1.6 billion Health Cooperation Framework, directing funds to Kenyan state health institutions to bolster universal coverage, infrastructure and emergency preparedness over five years.

Kenyan climate and health agencies forecast no malaria epidemics in Kakamega, Kisii and Nandi for December 2025–January 2026, citing low rainfall and higher temperatures that limit mosquito breeding.

The Gates Foundation warns child deaths under five are set to rise for the first time this century as global health funding falls, threatening hard-won gains against preventable diseases.

The agreement is the result of months of high-level negotiations, beginning on August 27, 2025, and establishes Kenya as the first African country to secure a new health cooperation model with the United States.

The WHO’s latest annual update shows impressive progress since 2000: intervention has saved an estimated 14 million lives worldwide over the last quarter of a century, and 47 countries are certified malaria-free.

A study of over 280,000 older adults in Wales found the shingles vaccine was linked to a 20 per cent lower dementia risk and improved survival in people already diagnosed.

The implications of this finding are significant. Because the bacterium is resistant to many antibiotics, including some of the strongest available, treating infections caused by it becomes much more difficult and, in some cases, nearly impossible.

A new WHO report finds rising malaria drug and insecticide resistance, 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024, even as vaccines and new tools avert 1 million deaths worldwide.

A large study of over 10,000 adolescents links smartphone ownership before age 12 to higher risks of depression, poor sleep and obesity, raising concerns for parents and caregivers.

The Senate is seeking public views on the Autism Management Bill, 2025, which proposes a national framework for early detection, care and data on autism across Kenya’s national and county levels.

A Senate committee has proposed restructuring KEMSA and other state corporations into executive agencies to clarify national-county roles, curb funding disputes and streamline devolved services across key sectors.

A KHRC report says Kenya now spends 68% of ordinary revenue on debt and wages, breaching legal limits and shrinking funds for health, social protection and development projects.

New data from African trials and global studies show long-acting HIV injections can match daily pills for viral suppression and prevention, with fewer doses and potential benefits for stigma and adherence.

The committee, chaired by Seme MP James Nyikal, noted that reimbursements under SHA have been inconsistent, with some facilities recording no disbursements at all.

A new Kenyan Bill proposes fines of up to Sh10 million and 10-year jail terms for unauthorised organ removal, creates a national regulator and follows a probe into alleged trafficking at Mediheal Hospital.

A JAMA Neurology study of over 11 million US veterans finds untreated obstructive sleep apnea is linked to higher Parkinson’s disease risk, with early CPAP treatment appearing to reduce that risk.

The WHO has issued conditional guidance supporting GLP-1 drugs for adult obesity, alongside lifestyle counselling, marking a shift in global treatment strategy and raising questions on access, safety and cost.

Two large studies suggest that untreated or persistent maternal thyroid imbalance during pregnancy is linked to higher autism risk in children, underscoring the importance of monitoring thyroid health in expectant mothers.

A National Assembly Health Committee report finds unpaid claims, IT outages, and governance gaps are undermining Kenya’s Social Health Authority and straining hospital finances nationwide.

Teachers will start using the new Social Health Authority cover from December 1, 2025, with TSC and SHA assuring uninterrupted treatment and wider access to 9,600 health facilities nationwide.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health emphasises the importance of youth leadership in the fight against AIDS, urging young people to influence health policies and services.

The therapy works by targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), an upstream regulator of airway inflammation, which helps to control asthma at its source rather than just alleviating symptoms.

After a tour around his lab, Barr explains how the different parts of the global flu monitoring system cooperate – and why it can be misleading to think that what happens in the southern hemisphere influences the northern hemisphere, and vice versa.

The WHO emphasises that some less common but serious signs, including severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting, or sudden neurological changes, require urgent medical attention.

The researchers call for coordinated global action, stronger provider education, tighter regulatory safeguards, and improved access to safer medications to ensure that increased availability leads to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.

The study emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring and surveillance, as understanding local mosquito populations and environmental conditions will be critical for predicting where malaria may emerge or intensify.

German researchers have discovered an antibody that is extremely effective against HIV, at least in the laboratory. Could it be a new weapon against AIDS?

According to Ministry of Health data, Kenya loses 15 mothers every day, alongside 96 newborns and 96 stillbirths. These losses add up to thousands of families affected each year, turning moments of joy into lifelong grief.

The research, based on decades of large‑scale brain‑scanning data, identifies four major “turning points” in human brain development occurring around ages 9, 32, 66, and 83.

Still, millions of children remain at risk. WHO estimates that in 2024, only 84 per cent of children received their first measles vaccine dose, and just 76 per cent received the second, far below the 95 per cent coverage needed to halt transmission.

Infertility, defined by WHO as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse, can cause significant distress, stigma, and financial hardship, affecting mental and psychosocial well-being.

The plan has already secured a $300 million (Sh39 billion) pledge, signalling increasing political will to confront the escalating health emergency.

The technology, still in clinical development, may one day eliminate the need for artificial dentures, implants, and other long-standing dental replacements.

Stillbirths are a sensitive measure of how health systems are performing. They reflect whether women can access timely, quality care during pregnancy and at birth.

Antimicrobial resistance spreads because bacteria and fungi evolve to survive medicines, and misuse helps them adapt faster.