Kenya sustains multi-partner collaboration in face of endemic Malaria » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 — Linah Katama, a mother of a 3-year-old child at the Mariakani Sub-County Hospital in Kilifi County, could not contain her joy after her child, diagnosed with cerebral malaria, showed promising signs of recovery from an illness that had threatened her growth.
Baby Precious, not her real name, had been ill for three days and was admitted to the facility after another county hospital referred her for emergency care due to her severe condition.
Katama says Precious was not sick when she got home from school, but as they were preparing to go to bed on Saturday, July 6, her health took a turn for the worse.
They had to head to a local county hospital for assistance. The babby was sweating profusely, had fever, was weak, could not eat anything, and was unable to respond when she tried to speak to her, Katama recalled.
“When we reach the Hospital, we were told the child is in a bad condition and needs immediate medical attention. We were referred to Mariakani hospital and when we reached here, in emergency section, she was taken in and she was injected, she slept for a while till around 11pm when we got a bed in the ward,” she said.
After medical examination, Precious was found to have cerebral malaria and anemia. Katama termed recovery from the twin illments pro
Katama says her hope was revived back when baby Precious woke up and was able to speak and eat.
“For now I really thank God my child can talk to me and eat and the fever is gone. She is okay now and I have faith we will be out of here soon,” she said.
Malaria prevalence
Katama attributed the illness of her child on the stagnation of dirty water in her neighborhood caused by rains that breed mosquitoes and lack of treated mosquito nets.
She says that although she and baby Precious sleep under a mosquito net, the net’s treatment had lapsed after three years of use.
Kilifi County is classified as one of the malaria-endemic areas that need mosquito nets for the prevention of malaria.
Malaria is prevalent in the area, particularly during the rainy season.
It is the latest beneficiary of treated mosquito nets under the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), facilitated by a Global Fund initiative in collaboration with the government’s Malaria Initiative.
10.9 million nets
The program aims to distribute 10.9 million nets across 18 counties to mitigate the impact of malaria, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) CEO Andrew Mulwa and Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro flagged off 1,054,000 treated mosquito nets on July 9 for distribution in the county in efforts to combat malaria in affected regions.
KEMSA intends to reach the pupulation in Kilifi County through 679 distribution posts spread across seven sub-counties.
“We are grateful for what KEMSA is doing in this last-mile distribution initiative that makes it easier for us to hand the nets over to the communities,” Governor Mung’aro said during the handover of the
“We are grateful for what KEMSA is doing in this last-mile distribution initiative that makes it easier for us to hand the nets over to the communities,” Governor Mung’aro said during the handover of the consignment from KEMSA.
KEMSA CEO said Kilifi is the twelfth county to receive nets under the distribution program which started in November 2023.
“This program is a testament to our capacity for detailed planning, logistical execution, and the successful navigation of complex challenges, reflecting our dedication to public health and welfare,” Mulwa said.
KEMSA has so far completed distributing treated mosquito nets in 10 counties which include Kisii, Nyamira, Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Tana River, Lamu, Taita Taveta, Kwale and Mombasa counties.
A similar exercise is underway in Busia.
The remaining counties include Turkana, West Pokot, Narok, Trans Nzoia, Baringo and Kirinyaga.
Nyale Mwakumi, a father of eight, who was visibly elated after receiving mosquito nets, thanked KEMSA and the government for the initiative, saying it would go a long way in protecting his family against malaria.
“I am happy that KEMSA has come all the way to my home to hand the nets to my family,” Mwakumi said.
Zulfe Nyanzua Yawa, a village elder in one of the distribution centres, said the nets will help prevent malaria prevalence in the area committing to educate the locals on the need to sleep under treated mosquito nets.
“Right now, malaria is our biggest problem. Because of the lack of nets, our children, below five years are the most affected. During the rainy season, like April, when the grass grows, malaria cases are very high because of mosquitoes,” Yawa said.
“The beneficiaries are all listed, and everyone is going to receive the nets in this village.”
Declining cases
Kaloleni Sub-County Malaria Disease Control Coordinator Purity Katama, said there have been fewer cases reported in the region since the interventions of mass net distribution among others compared to five years ago.
She states that there has been a decline in malaria cases over the past three years, which is encouraging.
Katama does concede though, that some hot spots continue to have high Malaria case counts and require additional interventions from the relevant parties.
“We have wards here in Kaloleni that still records very high Malaria like Chibana, Makomboani and Migamboni even though they have started to record lower cases. Some areas like Kayafungo and Mariakani though were hot spots but now have the lowest records of malaria,” she said.
She says young children are most susceptible to malaria, particularly in the rainy season.
Katama says the hospital admits two or three malaria patients every month, mostly children.
“Those who mostly get admitted due to severe malaria are from the hosts pots areas and sometimes parts of Kwale county,” she says.
She states that the effort to distribute nets will help decrease malaria cases. Katama highlighted the urgency to reach families yet to get nets and replace expired nets with treated ones to effectively deter mosquitoes.
Towards ‘Negative 5’
Peter Mwanombe, Kaloleni Sub-County Health Manager noted malaria prevalence in the area is still above five per cent.
He said the county government is putting its efforts to ensure the fight against malaria is achieved in the hot spots areas including covering 36,213 households in the distribution of nets.
“We have insisted community members sleep under these nets because when they do, we prevent malaria over 75 per cent,” Mwangombe said.
He said sensitised communities on social behavior change to help them understand the importance of having or sleeping under treated mosquito nets and using them for the intended purpose.
“For now they keep asking us where are the nets. We are ready and people are also ready to receive the nets,” he said.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reports that Malaria still remains a major public health challenge in Kenya. Due to altitude, rainfall patterns and temperature, about 75 percent of the Kenyan population is at risk for malaria.
Despite numerous intensive control efforts, malaria continues to pose a significant public health challenge in Kenya. Empirical evidence reveals that the disease not only imposes substantial economic burdens but also threatens the country’s progress toward achieving its sustainable development goals.
Experts say malaria transmission and infection risk are closely tied to factors such as altitude, temperature, and rainfall patterns. Consequently, malaria prevalence fluctuates significantly across different seasons and regions.
To effectively address these varied risks, the country is divided into five malaria epidemiological zones: coastal endemic, lake endemic, seasonal malaria transmission, malaria epidemic-prone areas of the western highlands, and low-risk malaria areas.
About The Author
