Thursday, July 3,
2025 - A new report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has
revealed that pneumonia, cancer, and cardiac arrest were the leading causes of
death among Kenyans in the last five years.
The findings are detailed in the latest Kenya Vital
Statistics Report, which analyzed registered deaths in health facilities across
the country.
In 2020, cardiac arrest was the top killer with 9,332
deaths, followed closely by pneumonia (9,061) and cancer (6,078).
However, from 2021 to 2024, pneumonia emerged as the most
common cause of death, averaging over 11,000 cases annually and peaking in 2021
with 15,468 deaths.
Cancer rose to the second spot in subsequent years, while
cardiac arrests ranked third.
Kidney-related deaths also saw a significant rise - from
2,585 in 2020 to 4,247 in 2023 - amid concerns about the Social Health
Authority (SHA) program’s limited support for kidney patients.
In 2024, other major causes of death included cardiovascular
diseases (7,478), hypertension (5,035), anaemia (4,572), injuries (4,574), and
diabetes (3,822).
Among females, cancer was the leading cause of death in 2024
(4,498 deaths), while pneumonia and cancer remained dominant among males in
both 2023 and 2024.
For children under five, prematurity and birth asphyxia
consistently led as the top causes of death.
In the 5–14 age group, pneumonia was the leading cause
between 2020 and 2023, with anaemia taking the top spot in 2024.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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