Kidney Disease Awareness Remains Low

According to recent reporting by the Kenya News Agency, awareness about chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains distressingly low among Kenyans, with many individuals only discovering their condition at advanced stages. Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika warned that a knowledge gap is hindering early detection, noting that many patients remain asymptomatic until the disease has progressed significantly. As part of efforts to bridge this gap, Nakuru County is offering free kidney‑disease screening in its public health facilities — urging residents to get tested for blood pressure, blood sugar, and to do urinalysis.
The Ministry of Health estimates that as many as 5 million Kenyans are living with some form of chronic kidney condition, yet only a small fraction are aware of their status. This lack of awareness is one of the major drivers of late-stage diagnoses, which demand far more intensive care. Patients often present when they already require dialysis or are approaching kidney failure — situations that are cost-prohibitive and harder to manage. The Kenya Renal Association has highlighted the fact that there are very few nephrology specialists, especially outside Nairobi, compounding the risk of missed diagnoses.
At the same time, screening and preventive education remain under‑resourced. Despite World Kidney Day efforts — for example, the 2025 theme: Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect early, protect kidney health — public understanding of risk factors like hypertension and diabetes is still very weak. Experts argue that more community outreach is needed, including health talks, mobile clinics, and more accessible urinalysis in primary care settings, to catch disease early and prevent irreversible kidney damage.
The implications are stark: as dialysis and kidney transplant services expand, capacity could soon be overwhelmed if early detection does not improve. Moreover, kidney care remains financially out of reach for many — and with late-stage presentation, treatment is far more expensive and less effective. Without increased education, screening, and specialist services, the public health burden of CKD is likely to grow even more severe.