Kenya has reduced malaria prevalence by a third over the past decade as it presses towards its goal of cutting cases and deaths by 90 percent by 2030.
The latest annual report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that malaria prevalence fell from eight percent in 2015 to 5.6 percent in 2025 – a 2.4 percentage point drop, representing the most significant shift in the country’s malaria burden in a generation.
Much of this progress is attributed to the decision to switch to a cheaper and more effective malaria vaccine. In addition to showing 75 percent efficacy against malaria, the newer option is significantly more affordable for the country.
‘Kenya has made significant progress towards the Global Technical Strategy’s goal of reducing malaria cases and deaths by 90 percent by 2030. Malaria prevalence has decreased from eight percent in 2015 to 5.6 percent today,’ the report stated.
The vaccine that changed the numbers
Kenya’s malaria vaccination programme had, for years, relied on RTS,S, the first malaria vaccine to receive WHO approval. The vaccine demonstrated meaningful protection in clinical trials and helped to reduce childhood illness and death. However, its high cost meant that not every child who needed it could access it, even with donor support.
Kenya then switched to the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. This vaccine matches RTS,S in terms of efficacy, providing up to 75 percent protection in clinical trials, but costs roughly one-third as much per dose.
For Kenya’s programme, this price difference has been transformative, enabling coverage to expand to 12 additional sub-counties in western Kenya.
‘When we moved to R21, we weren’t just changing a vaccine; we were freeing up resources that had previously been tied up in the cost of the previous one,’ said the Ministry of Health. ‘That freed budget went straight back into nets, drugs, and community.’
The country’s progress has also been supported by stronger bed nets, preventive drugs, expanded treatment, and a new national strategy – all of which have contributed to a response that has measurably shifted the numbers for the first time in years.
Stronger nets to counter resistance
Even as the vaccine transition took hold, Kenya was quietly confronting a threat to one of its most relied-upon tools. Across several high-burden counties, mosquitoes had developed resistance to pyrethroids – the insecticide used in standard bed nets – gradually reducing their effectiveness.
Kenya’s response was to switch to dual-active insecticidal nets, which combine two different active ingredients. A mosquito resistant to one ingredient encounters the second, restoring the protection that resistance had eroded.
The enhanced nets are expected to cover seven million people, with pregnant women and children under five prioritised for distribution.
In total, Kenya has distributed 15.7 million insecticide-treated nets through mass campaigns, making it one of the largest such efforts in the country’s public health history.
‘Over this period, the country distributed 15.7 million insecticide-treated nets through mass campaigns and provided antimalarial treatments to over four million people, demonstrating a strong commitment to the goal of eliminating malaria,’ said the report.
Preventive drugs for the most vulnerable
Kenya has also expanded access to preventive antimalarial drugs, targeting groups most at risk of severe illness or death. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention involves giving young children preventive doses during peak transmission periods.
Similarly, pregnant women receive preventive treatment during routine antenatal visits, integrating malaria prevention into existing healthcare services rather than requiring additional visits.
Both measures target groups that account for the largest share of serious illness and death. They also reduce the number of cases requiring hospital care, easing pressure on a health system already under strain in the eight highest-burden counties.
More than four million people received malaria treatment using artemisinin combination therapy, the WHO-recommended standard of care. This reflects both the remaining disease burden and an expansion of Kenya’s capacity to diagnose and treat cases before they become fatal.
Meanwhile, case management remains a critical part of the response, particularly in areas where prevention coverage is incomplete.
The strategy behind the targeting
The Malaria Policy 2024 and the National Malaria Strategy 2023-2027 replaced a framework that had been in place since 2010, bringing these interventions under a modernised approach.
The most consequential shift lies in resource allocation. Rather than spreading support across all 47 counties, the new strategy directs it to the eight counties bearing the heaviest burden – Siaya, Busia, Homa Bay, Turkana, Migori, Kakamega, Vihiga and Kisumu. These counties account for a disproportionate share of Kenya’s 4.2 million annual malaria cases.
‘These strategic documents will guide Kenya’s malaria response over the next five years, enabling the country to implement updated WHO recommendations, including the deployment of malaria vaccines and other evidence-based interventions,’ the report said.
The ministry has described the shift in targeting as a turning point. ‘We had to be honest about where the disease is prevalent,’ the ministry said at the launch of the new strategy. ‘Resources that chase geography rather than burden do not save lives. We changed that.’
Nationally, 57.3 million people are considered at risk, with pregnant women, children under five, individuals with no prior exposure to malaria and refugees among the most vulnerable.
Despite this progress, Kenya still records 4.2 million malaria cases and 11,000 malaria-related deaths each year. The national target, in line with the WHO Global Technical Strategy, is to reduce cases and deaths by 90 percent by 2030.