Study Reveals High Rates of Diabetes in Youth

A recent report has raised alarm about increasing diabetes in young Kenyans, especially among children and adolescents. According to The Standard, Kenya ranks 44th out of 113 low- and middle-income countries in terms of type 1 diabetes prevalence among those below 20 years, with an estimated 6,500 children and young people living with the condition. In 2024 alone, there were approximately 1,380 new diagnoses, but access to insulin and proper diabetes care remains limited for many.
A separate hospital-based 14-year retrospective study at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) examined pediatric and adolescent diabetes patients (aged up to 25 years) and found that 99.3% of cases were type 1 diabetes, and over half of the children (56.3%) were first diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 18. However, the study revealed a worrying trend: 90.2% of these young patients presented in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis—a life-threatening complication that could have been minimized with earlier detection and care.
Health officials are urging for stronger community-level screening and education to tackle this youth diabetes surge. Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga of the Ministry of Health stressed the need for more health education, more community health promoters with glucometers, and expanded preventive services at Level 2 and Level 3 public facilities.
Experts warn of a large hidden burden: many young people may still be undiagnosed until they develop dangerous complications. The Access to Medicine Foundation report highlighted that despite the growing number of cases, there are persistent barriers to insulin access, treatment continuity, and diabetes care in Kenya—especially for children and adolescents.