Kenya’s efforts to curb malaria are facing renewed scrutiny after new health figures showed only a slight reduction in infections, raising concern over how effectively the national strategy is being carried out at the county level.
Public Health PS Mary Muthoni said the country already has enough knowledge and tools to deal with malaria, but weak execution on the ground is slowing down progress. She said the challenge is no longer about ideas or policies, but how well they are applied across different regions.
Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday ahead of World Malaria Day, she said the persistence of the disease is linked to uneven delivery of interventions rather than lack of solutions.
“Malaria today is not a mystery. We understand how it spreads, who it affects most, and what interventions work. Yet it continues to persist, not because solutions are absent, but because delivery is uneven,” she said.
“The gap we must now close is not one of knowledge, but of implementation.”
Muthoni said counties remain central in determining whether malaria control efforts succeed or fail, since they are responsible for turning national plans into actual health services. She noted that malaria patterns differ widely across the country, meaning responses must be tailored instead of applying a uniform approach everywhere.
She added that while some counties are making progress towards reducing infections, others continue to report high numbers, widening the gap in outcomes.
“Counties are where policies become services, where strategies become action, and where outcomes are ultimately determined. If we are truly ‘driven to end malaria,’ then that drive must be visible in county plans, in county budgets, and in county systems,” the PS said.
According to the latest data, Kenya recorded about 4.2 million malaria cases in 2024. The disease remains a major public health burden, accounting for 18 per cent of outpatient visits, while nearly three out of four people live in areas where infection is possible.
Even with these figures, the country’s progress has remained slow. The PS said malaria cases dropped by only five per cent between 2023 and 2025. Over a longer period, prevalence has reduced from eight per cent to six per cent, while deaths have gone down by 32 per cent in the previous strategy cycle.
These results fall short of what is outlined in the Kenya Malaria Strategy 2023–27, which aims to cut infections by 80 per cent and reduce deaths by 90 per cent by 2027.
The plan also targets elimination of local transmission in Nyandarua, Laikipia, Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties within the same period. However, progress in these areas has been limited.
The strategy document notes that while health workers were trained in the targeted counties, funding gaps at both national and county levels have slowed key interventions, including the rollout of a case-based surveillance system.
“Though training was conducted in the four targeted counties, there has been limited financial investment at the national and county levels to fulfil the elimination mandate, including on the establishment of a case-based surveillance system,” the strategy document says.