Kenya is staring down a growing health crisis, with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now responsible for the majority of hospital deaths, signaling an urgent need for national intervention.

The 2024 Vital Statistics Report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that NCDs accounted for 61.7 percent of all hospital deaths last year a sharp jump from 52.4 percent in 2023. The report confirms what health researchers have long warned: lifestyle-related illnesses are silently tightening their grip on the country.

Dr. Gershim Asiki, a research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), has tracked NCD mortality trends for over two decades in Nairobi’s informal settlements.

His findings point to a five-fold increase in NCD-related deaths from just 5 percent in 2003 to 20 percent in 2012, and 43 percent by 2018. Rural data from Kisumu paints a similar picture, with NCDs causing 37 percent of deaths between 2003 and 2010.

“All data sources point in one direction non-communicable disease deaths are rising consistently across Kenya,” says Dr. Asiki.

He adds that population-based studies now place NCDs as the second leading cause of death nationally, with the trend likely to surpass all other causes if left unchecked.

Among the leading contributors to the surge are cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and hypertension. Cancer rose to the second-highest cause of death in 2024, claiming 8,954 lives, up from 7,699 in 2023.

Cardiovascular conditions such as heart attacks and strokes followed closely, responsible for 7,478 deaths, while hypertension once seen as a minor health issue killed over 5,000 Kenyans in the same period.

David Makumi, CEO of the Faraja Cancer Support Trust, describes the rise of NCDs as “an epidemic in slow motion,” attributing it to changing lifestyles, poor dietary habits, increased alcohol consumption, and reduced physical activity. “These diseases are not infectious, but they’re increasingly lethal and they’re preventable,” Makumi said.

He adds that many patients are unaware of their conditions until complications arise. Cases of people discovering they have diabetes or high blood pressure only after a stroke or coma are becoming alarmingly common.

The 2015 Kenya STEPS Survey revealed that 99.8 percent of adults do not consume enough fruits and vegetables, while 89 percent regularly eat high-salt foods. Sugary drink consumption has doubled, and heavy episodic drinking particularly among men is prevalent.

Dr. Asiki highlights three major drivers of the NCD crisis: demographic changes, behavioral risks, and environmental factors. He emphasizes that over 80 percent of NCD cases are linked to modifiable behaviors chief among them diet.

“Even when you combine all other risk behaviors smoking, alcohol, inactivity they still don’t add up to the damage caused by poor diet,” he notes.

Air pollution, particularly in urban areas like Nairobi, and indoor smoke in rural homes also contribute significantly to the NCD burden.

While Kenya has implemented tobacco and alcohol control laws, experts say the country still lacks robust policies to regulate unhealthy diets.

The Ministry of Health’s Kenya Nutrient Profile Model aims to guide food labelling and regulation, but enforcement remains limited.

Both Makumi and Asiki are calling for urgent reforms: stronger health education, better screening systems, fiscal measures to make healthy food affordable, and taxation of harmful products.

“We need to act fast,” warns Makumi. “We are watching preventable deaths rise year after year this is no longer just a health issue, it’s a national emergency.”