The global burden of disease generating evidence, guiding policy in Kenya

The effort towards improving the health of the population in Kenya continues to produce results driven by accurate and timely data. Over the past three decades, the country has witnessed impressive progress in tackling priority diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Further, progress has been realized in addressing childhood diseases such as measles and diarrhea, largely through the expansion of key health interventions, including vaccines and other preventive health technologies. In addition, the country continues to focus on maternal health, by expanding health services to ensure that lives are not lost due to pregnancy-related complications.

Despite the impressive progress in tackling communicable, maternal and childhood diseases, the threat posed by the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) risks eroding the recent gains realized by the health system in Kenya. Therefore, the Ministry of Health has partnered with various stakeholders with the aim of stemming the tide of NCDs and making further progress in improving health outcomes in the country. This report on the burden of disease in Kenya, co-produced by the International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA), based at the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), is the first of its kind in the country.