Pneumonia, cancer, and cardiac arrest have been the leading causes of death in Kenyan hospitals over the last five years, according to new data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

The findings, contained in the Kenya Vital Statistics Report, paint a troubling picture of rising fatalities from preventable and chronic illnesses between 2020 and 2024.

In 2020, cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest,was the top cause of hospital deaths, claiming 9,332 lives, followed by pneumonia with 9,061 and cancer with 6,078 deaths.

These were part of the 99,355 deaths recorded in health facilities that year.

However, from 2021 through 2024, pneumonia consistently ranked as the leading cause of death, averaging over 11,000 fatalities each year.

The disease hit its peak in 2021, killing 15,468 people the highest number of deaths reported from a single cause during the five-year period.

Cancer took second place during these years, overtaking cardiac arrests, which had topped the list in 2020.

The report also flagged a sharp increase in deaths related to kidney diseases. In 2020, kidney-related illnesses were responsible for 2,585 deaths, but by 2024, the number had jumped to 4,247.

This rise has drawn attention, especially amid concerns over the Social Health Authority (SHA) programme, with complaints surfacing about the lack of coverage for kidney disease treatment.

Other major causes of death in 2024 included cardiovascular diseases (7,478), hypertension (5,035), anaemia (4,572), diabetes (3,822), injuries (4,574), and prematurity and birth asphyxia (4,223).

The top three pneumonia, cancer, and cardiac arrest, were also found to be the most common causes of death for both men and women over the five years.

In 2023 and 2024, pneumonia and cancer topped the list for males, while sepsis, which ranked fifth among men in 2023, did not appear in the top ten the following year. Among women, cancer led with 4,498 registered deaths in 2024, while pneumonia remained one of the top two killers throughout the five-year span.

The report also highlighted deaths among infants and children. Prematurity and birth asphyxia remained the number one cause of infant deaths from 2020 to 2024, making up 26.7 percent of all infant deaths last year.

Pneumonia and respiratory infections consistently followed, except in 2023.

For children under five, prematurity, birth asphyxia, and pneumonia were the top causes of death throughout the period. In the 5 to 14-year age group, pneumonia was the leading cause between 2020 and 2023, with anaemia taking the top spot in 2024.

KNBS noted that sepsis, diabetes, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, and respiratory infections also remained among the main causes of death reported in health facilities nationwide during the five-year window.