Kenya’s Health Improves as Increased Healthcare Spending Reduces Disease Burden

Kenya experienced a minor reduction in its overall disease prevalence in 2025, with enhanced healthcare investments from both federal and local authorities improving access to medical care and expanding health facilities nationwide. According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics presented in the 2026 Economic Survey, while malaria cases increased dramatically from 3.8 million in 2024 to 14.3 million in 2025, the total count of reported illnesses slightly decreased from 79.6 million to 79.5 million during this timeframe. This decline coincided with a substantial increase in public health expenditures. Federal healthcare expenditure grew by 22.8 percent to Sh150.9 billion during the 2025/26 fiscal year, compared to Sh122.9 billion in the preceding period. This allocation represented 3.5 percent of the overall Sh4.2 trillion national budget, up from 3 percent in the previous fiscal year. Local governments likewise boosted health service expenditures by 23.3 percent to Sh133.4 billion, demonstrating sustained investments in healthcare infrastructure and service provision. From the national budget, Sh60 billion was allocated to public health initiatives, while Sh45 billion was directed toward hospital services through both recurring and capital expenditures. This financial growth aligned with the ongoing expansion of healthcare establishments and workforce. The count of functioning health establishments increased by 4.6 percent from 15,984 in 2024 to 16,713 in 2025, primarily due to expansion in Level 3 facilities, which grew from 3,518 to 4,172. Level 4 facilities expanded from 1,119 to 1,188, and Level 5 facilities increased from 28 to 37. Level 6 establishments rose from six to seven, though Level 2 facilities decreased marginally from 11,313 to 11,309. Hospital bed capacity increased by 3 percent from 101,267 to 104,348, and the number of registered nurses rose by 12.7 percent to 65,300 in 2025. Notwithstanding a substantial reduction in cases, respiratory illnesses continued to be the primary cause of illness in Kenya throughout 2025. Respiratory disease cases decreased by 22.8 percent from 19.98 million in 2024 to 15.43 million in 2025, marking a reduction of 5.7 percentage points in their proportion of the total disease burden. Nevertheless, respiratory conditions maintained the largest portion of reported illnesses nationwide. Respiratory system disorders impact the airways, including nasal passages, bronchi, and lungs, encompassing both acute respiratory infections and chronic conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Respiratory disease burden reached 20.6 million cases in 2021, decreased to 17.1 million in 2022, then increased to 19.6 million in 2023 and 20 million in 2024. Skin conditions, including ulcers, represented the third-highest disease burden with 3.1 million cases, constituting 3.9 percent of all reported illnesses. Urinary tract infections and eye infections ranked next, responsible for 3.3 percent and 3.2 percent of reported cases respectively, while hypertension accounted for 2 percent. The report additionally indicated that Kenya recorded 217,601 deaths in 2025, with male fatalities surpassing female deaths across most age categories. The greatest number of fatalities for both genders occurred among individuals aged 75 and older, where recorded deaths increased significantly from 49,583 in 2024 to 83,465 in 2025. Male deaths in the 75-and-over group grew from 23,273 to 42,031, while female deaths increased from 26,310 to 41,434. The fewest recorded deaths occurred among children aged five to 14 years, where fatalities decreased from 6,366 to 5,893, including 3,304 males and 2,589 females. Mortality among infants and young children stayed relatively low, totaling 7,220 deaths in 2025.