Why Kenya still fails on preventable diseases
By Faith Lagat, October 5, 2025Kenya’s persistent struggle with preventable diseases, highlighted by the recent cholera outbreak in Narok County, exposes long-standing weaknesses in public health infrastructure, sanitation, and community education.
On October 5, 2025, Narok County Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health Services, Lucy Kashu, confirmed an outbreak that claimed four lives, three adults and one child from Mgingo, Majengo, and Oldonyo Rasha villages. Thirty-one others were receiving treatment across Kilgoris Central, Shankoe, and Lolgorian wards, revealing once again the country’s difficulty in curbing diseases that can be prevented through stronger systems.
The outbreak, detected on September 29, 2025 at Trans Mara West Sub-County Hospital, began with eight patients admitted with acute watery diarrhoea. Tests at the hospital and Walter Reed Kericho Laboratory confirmed cholera.
By Friday, October 3, 2025, 12 patients remained hospitalised while 15 had been discharged. The county activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, deployed rapid response teams, and set up a temporary cholera treatment unit. These interventions, while swift, reflect a familiar pattern of emergency reaction rather than long-term prevention.
Sanitation gaps
Cholera thrives where sanitation is weak and clean water access is limited. According to Kashu, unsafe sanitation exposes 38 million Kenyans to health risks, underscoring structural challenges in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) systems. In Narok, health officials are intensifying surveillance, community sensitisation, and water treatment in collaboration with WASH partners. Similar measures have been rolled out in other affected counties, including Kwale, Migori, Kisumu, and Nairobi, which have recorded 426 cholera cases and 20 deaths in 2025.
Beyond cholera, Kenya continues to battle diseases like malaria, typhoid, and diarrheal infections, conditions that remain prevalent due to infrastructure deficits.
Border areas and informal settlements are particularly vulnerable, with open defecation and contaminated water sources fuelling disease spread. While the government has collaborated with partners and allocated Ksh476.4 million from a Ksh35.5 billion African Union budget for cholera control, the challenge lies in translating these commitments into lasting infrastructure improvements.
Community behavior compounds the issue. Kashu has urged residents to treat drinking water, maintain hygiene, and seek immediate medical attention when symptoms arise. However, limited awareness, cultural practices, and poverty often hinder uptake of preventive measures. In some areas, reliance on traditional remedies and distrust in formal health systems delay timely interventions, allowing outbreaks to escalate.
Policy gaps and the need for long-term investment
Kenya is classified as a high-priority country under the Cholera Continental Preparedness and Response Plan for Africa 1.0. However, the recurrence of outbreaks suggests a gap between policy intentions and implementation on the ground. Informal settlements remain hotspots due to overcrowding and poor sanitation. Border regions with high human mobility face minimal health monitoring, enabling diseases to spread across communities.
Recent government assurances on resolving medicine shortages have done little to address the foundational issues of sanitation and clean water. The African Union’s goal to cut cholera cases from 203,572 to 46,764 by 2030 hinges on sustained structural reforms, not short-term measures. Strengthening WASH systems in underserved areas, maintaining consistent community education campaigns, and ensuring adequate healthcare staffing and supplies are critical steps toward lasting change.
A cycle that can be broken
The Narok outbreak is a reminder that preventable diseases continue to claim lives because of systemic neglect. Rapid response teams and treatment units, though essential, cannot replace sustained investment in infrastructure and education.
Kenya’s fight against cholera and other preventable illnesses will require a shift from emergency reaction to proactive, well-funded, and well-coordinated public health strategies. Only then can future outbreaks be contained before lives are lost.