Uasin gishu county: Residents of Uasin Gishu County have been encouraged to embrace healthy lifestyles to prevent Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), a condition that has lately become a global health threat and projected to become the fifth leading cause of years of life lost (YLL).
According to Kenya News Agency, during World Kidney Day 2026, Dr. Andrew Wandera, Senior Director Clinical Services, speaking on behalf of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) CEO Dr. Philip Kirwa, highlighted the significance of the global event. The theme for the day was 'Kidney Health For All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet', marking 20 years of global action on kidney health. Dr. Wandera emphasized the connection between kidney health and environmental health.
He revealed that MTRH has been instrumental in offering comprehensive services to patients with kidney issues, from screening and medical treatment to dialysis and transplant services. The hospital conducts between 25,000 and 30,000 dialysis sessions annually, including for children, and has performed close to 200 transplant surgeries.
Dr. Wandera stressed the ethical integrity of their transplant services, urging the public not to seek to sell kidneys at the hospital. He clarified that kidney donations at MTRH are voluntary and typically involve relatives donating to each other.
The senior director also linked kidney diseases to environmental issues, particularly toxins and chronic dehydration. He advocated for a toxin-free planet and clean water to prevent kidney injuries, noting that clean water is crucial for treating kidney patients.
Dr. Wandera also emphasized environmentally friendly disposal of medical waste at MTRH, which uses smoke-free incinerators. He expressed concern over the rising number of patients requiring dialysis and permanent catheters, services that are challenging for private hospitals to provide.
Philip Cheptinga, Head of Nephrology at MTRH, encouraged Kenyans to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA) for comprehensive health service coverage, highlighting that SHA covers significant portions of dialysis and transplant costs.
Kidney patients, led by Titus Terigin, expressed gratitude for government support via SHA, which covers essential drugs like anti-rejection medications. They called for increased allocation for kidney transplant services to cover additional costs not currently covered.
CKD is often called a 'silent killer' as symptoms appear in late stages, with patients potentially losing up to 90 percent of kidney function before noticing symptoms. It is primarily caused by high blood sugar and blood pressure, along with autoimmune diseases, genetic conditions, prolonged urinary blockages, and misuse of certain medications.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that CKD affects approximately 788 million people globally as of 2023, driven by diabetes, hypertension, and aging, with prevalence rising to 14.2 percent. CKD is responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths annually and is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2050.