Kenya faces 85pc malaria funding gap despite drop in infections

NAIROBI,Kenya, Nov 5- Kenya is facing an Sh15 billion funding shortfall in its malaria control programme, threatening efforts to sustain declining infection rates as international health financing comes under pressure.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale says the country requires Sh17.7 billion annually to implement its malaria strategy but has only Sh2.66 billion available this financial year, leaving an 85 per cent funding gap.

Duale raised the concern while representing President William Ruto at the High-Level Dialogue on Malaria Elimination in Gaborone, Botswana, where he urged African governments to increase domestic health financing and reduce reliance on external donors.

“Kenya needs KSh17.7 billion annually to implement its malaria strategy, against the KSh2.66 billion available this year, leaving an 85% funding gap,” Duale said.

He warned that declining international funding could reverse gains made in combating malaria, calling on African countries to mobilise domestic resources, strengthen partnerships and invest in local manufacturing of essential medicines, mosquito nets and other health commodities.

Kenya has recorded a 34 per cent decline in confirmed malaria cases, falling from 5.54 million in 2023 to 3.64 million in the year to September 2026.

Malaria incidence among children under five has also dropped from 194 to 119 cases per 1,000, reflecting progress in prevention and treatment interventions.

However, Duale said sustaining the gains would require predictable financing and stronger domestic capacity to deliver malaria prevention and treatment services.

Kenya is seeking to address the financing and supply challenges through its Universal Health Coverage reforms, with interventions integrated into primary healthcare, community health services and digital disease surveillance.

The government is also strengthening efforts to contain antimalarial drug resistance through the adoption of multiple first-line treatment therapies and enhanced pharmacovigilance.

Duale further called for greater African health sovereignty through investment in local manufacturing, noting that Kenya’s Health Products and Technologies Local Manufacturing Strategy targets domestic production of 50 per cent of essential health commodities.

He cited the country’s growing capacity to manufacture spatial repellents as an example of local innovation, with trials indicating a reduction in malaria infections of approximately 33 per cent.

The Health CS also called for stronger regional cooperation, including joint malaria surveillance with Uganda and enhanced coordination through the East African Community, arguing that cross-border transmission requires countries to coordinate their prevention and control efforts.

The Gaborone dialogue was held alongside the 36th Board Meeting of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, chaired by Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko.

It brought together health ministers and global health financing partners, including Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands and RBM Partnership Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Adekunle Charles, to discuss strategies for accelerating malaria elimination across Africa.

Other participants included Botswana Health Minister Dr Stephen Modise, Namibia’s Dr Esperance Luvindao, Sudan’s Dr Haitham Mohamed, Equatorial Guinea’s Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba and Angola’s Carlos Alberto Pinto.

Kenya’s High Commissioner to Botswana, Ambassador Sabdiyo Dido, accompanied Duale at the meeting.

​Bruhan Makong is a Senior News Reporter for Capital FM in Nairobi, covering diplomacy, foreign policy, national security, climate, and human rights across East Africa and the wider region.