WHO Confirms Kenya Has Eliminated Deadly Sleeping Sickness
WHO Kenya has confirmed that Kenya has eliminated sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the 10th country to achieve this milestone.
This achievement decades in the making reflects the nation’s capacity to defeat neglected tropical diseases through strong policy, decisive leadership, scientific excellence, and community-driven action.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale presided over the ceremony, held under the theme “One Health | One Fight Towards a Sleeping Sickness-Free Kenya.” Since the first recorded case in 1901 and the first documented diagnosis in Samia in 1942, HAT has plagued communities in Busia, Bungoma, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, and Narok counties, putting more than seven million people at risk.
Kenya has reported zero indigenous cases since 2009, and WHO’s 2025 validation stands as proof that investment, coordination, and collective effort can overcome even the toughest public health challenges.
