By Grace Awuor Otieno
Climate change is reshaping Kenya’s public health landscape, with rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, devastating floods and shifting disease patterns exposing millions of people to new and intensifying health risks.
As climate-related emergencies become more frequent, the government is moving to strengthen the country’s health system, cautioning that climate change can no longer be treated solely as an environmental issue.
The Ministry of Health is rolling out new policies, strengthening disease surveillance and promoting climate-resilient healthcare infrastructure as part of a broader effort to prepare the health sector for a future in which climate-related health emergencies are expected to become increasingly common.
The measures reflect growing recognition that protecting communities from climate change will require more than disaster response; they aim to build stronger, more resilient health systems capable of anticipating and managing emerging threats.
Rose Mokaya, Assistant Director for Public Health Coordination of Climate Change and Health Programmes and Projects at the Ministry of Health, said during a climate change and health workshop organised by the Media for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA).
She noted that changing weather patterns are contributing to the spread of vector-borne diseases such as malaria into areas where transmission was previously uncommon, while flooding continues to increase the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Prolonged droughts are also worsening food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly among children and vulnerable households.
“Climate change is also contributing to rising cases of heat-related illness, respiratory diseases linked to poor air quality and mental health challenges associated with displacement, loss of livelihoods and climate-induced disasters,”Mokaya said.
“Children, pregnant women, older persons and people living with chronic illnesses remain among those facing the greatest health risks.”
Although Kenya contributes less than 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it remains among the countries bearing a disproportionate share of climate-related impacts.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change could cause an additional 250,000 deaths every year globally between 2030 and 2050 from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoeal disease and heat stress if effective interventions are not implemented. These projections underscore the urgency of strengthening national health systems before climate risks escalate further.
The impacts are already visible across Kenya. Extreme weather events have disrupted health services, damaged infrastructure and increased the burden of climate-sensitive diseases. During the 2024 long rains, flooding affected more than 60 health facilities, interrupting healthcare delivery in several parts of the country and highlighting the vulnerability of critical health infrastructure to climate shocks.
To address these growing challenges, the Ministry of Health has adopted a series of policies aimed at integrating climate change into public health planning. These include the Kenya Climate Change and Health Strategy 2024–2029, which provides a framework for strengthening resilience across the health sector while improving preparedness for climate-related emergencies.
The ministry has also developed Green Health Sector Guidelines and an Indoor Air Pollution Prevention Strategy to help reduce emissions within healthcare facilities while protecting patients and health workers.
Recognising that climate-related health risks cannot be addressed by the health sector alone, Mokaya said the Ministry is working with government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders to strengthen climate adaptation.
“Collaboration across sectors such as agriculture, energy and meteorology is critical to reducing Kenya’s vulnerability to climate-related health emergencies,” she said.
The ministry has also invested in strengthening climate-informed disease surveillance and early warning systems to improve preparedness before disasters occur. Working with partners such as the Kenya Meteorological Department and WHO, health officials are integrating weather and climate information into public health planning, enabling counties to anticipate disease outbreaks and respond more quickly to emerging health threats.
According to Mokaya, these systems are becoming increasingly important as climate variability continues to influence the timing and geographic spread of diseases.
At the same time, efforts are underway to make health facilities more resilient to climate shocks. The ministry has developed climate-resilient health facility guidelines and is supporting vulnerability assessments to identify hospitals and clinics most at risk from floods, extreme heat and other climate hazards.
“In areas without reliable electricity, the government is also promoting the use of solar energy to improve access to essential health services during emergencies, particularly in remote and underserved communities,” she said.
While policy reforms are gathering pace, Mokaya acknowledged that significant challenges remain. Financing constraints, inadequate infrastructure, workforce capacity gaps and limited public awareness continue to slow implementation of climate-health interventions.
She stressed that building resilient health systems will require sustained investment, stronger coordination between national and county governments and continued support from development partners.
For Kenya, strengthening climate resilience within the health sector is increasingly viewed as both a public health necessity and a development priority. As climate change continues to reshape patterns of disease and place additional strain on healthcare systems, officials say, success will depend not only on government action but also on collaboration between researchers, healthcare workers, county governments, civil society, development partners and the media.
