Deputy President’s Spouse, Dr Joyce Kithure, has urged for tougher enforcement and a complete ban on products containing lead, saying the toxic metal continues to endanger the health of Kenyans, especially children.
Addressing participants at the 13th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action held at the University of Nairobi’s Chiromo Campus, Joyce said the country must move beyond awareness to decisive action that eliminates all sources of lead exposure.
She described lead as a dangerous and silent pollutant that has invaded homes, schools, and public spaces through paints, toys, road markings, and other common materials.
“Lead poisoning remains a silent public health crisis. It does not announce itself with pain or fever; it seeps quietly into the bloodstream, impairing the development of young minds, lowering IQ, damaging organs, and stealing futures before they even begin,” she said.
Joyce emphasized that there is no safe level of lead exposure and called for stronger policies and consistent monitoring to ensure full compliance with safety standards. “Lead is not merely an entry on the Periodic Table. It is a silent predator, invisible, odourless and relentless. It infiltrates our homes through peeling paints, our schools through crumbling walls, our streets through road markings, and even in our children’s toys,” she added.
According to the World Health Organization, one in three children globally has blood lead levels exceeding safe limits. Studies in Kenya, many by University of Nairobi researchers, have found worrying levels of lead exposure in industrial areas and informal settlements, posing a growing public health challenge.
Joyce urged the government and stakeholders to ensure that “lead-free” becomes a reality in every sector.
“Let us ensure that ‘lead-free’ is not just a slogan on a banner, but a standard enforced in every factory, every hardware store, every classroom, and every home. Let us unite our voices as scientists, policymakers, mothers, fathers, teachers, and students and say with conviction: ‘There is no safe level of lead’. Every life deserves protection. Every community deserves a clean environment,” she said.
She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving a lead-free Kenya through the ban on leaded paints and fuel, enhanced enforcement of compliance standards, and closer monitoring of lead levels in soil, water, and consumer products.
She also encouraged more collaboration between research institutions, industries, and communities to promote safe waste management and recycling practices.
“Government action alone is not enough; it is the synergy between researchers, policymakers, industries and communities that will deliver real change,” Joyce said, calling for shared responsibility in addressing the threat of lead poisoning.
