By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 19 September 2026 - As the world marks International Snakebite Awareness Day 2026, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has released grim statistics on snakebite envenoming.
Every year, more than 19,000 Kenyans are bitten by snakes, of whom over 1,000 lose their lives and hundreds more are left with permanent physical disabilities.
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards in the Ministry of Health Mary Muthoni noted that the burden is particularly heavy in rural and pastoral communities, where children are among those most exposed.
She said the Ministry of Health has recognised snakebite envenoming as a priority Neglected Tropical Disease and incorporated it into the Kenya National Neglected Tropical Diseases Masterplan 2023–2027.
“We have also strengthened surveillance by integrating mandatory snakebite case reporting into the Kenya Health Information System at all health facility levels, while community-level surveillance has been activated through the Electronic Community Health Information System,” PS Muthoni said.
She revealed that at community level more than 5,000 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) have been trained across snakebite-endemic counties to identify households at risk, deliver prevention messages, administer correct first aid, report cases and facilitate timely referral to health facilities.
“This investment in our frontline health workforce is critical in reducing the time between a snakebite and access to appropriate care,” she said.
The government has already completed county-level mapping of snakebite hotspots.
This is helping to guide targeted distribution of antivenom and strengthen emergency response in high-burden counties, including Baringo, where Kenyan authorities and other stakeholders are hosting this year’s event as Kenya joins the world.
Ms Muthoni said that through the Kenya Institute of Primate Research the country is developing its first domestically produced antivenom, using venom profiles from locally relevant snake species.
“We are also establishing a National Antivenom Quality Control Laboratory at the Kenya Institute of Primate Research to strengthen quality assurance and antivenom efficacy standards,” she said.
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Kenya has further integrated snakebite surveillance into mass drug administration campaigns, using existing neglected tropical disease structures to strengthen community-level data collection and surveillance.
On the global stage, Kenya is at the forefront of efforts to keep snakebite high on the agenda.
Kenya co-chairs the Global Snakebite Taskforce, providing political leadership to international efforts to address the problem.
The country also led a Member State side event at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, helping to return snakebite to the World Health Assembly agenda for the first time since 2020.
Baringo County is one of Kenya’s highest-burden counties for snakebite envenoming.
This year’s commemoration will be held under the theme “Know it. Respect it. Survive it.” and will bring the message directly to students, teachers, Community Health Promoters and the wider community.
The Ministry of Health has called on every Kenyan, particularly those living in snakebite-risk areas, to remember three life-saving messages: Prevent, Act Right and Seek Care Early.
The messaging urges Kenyans to prevent snakebites by avoiding unnecessary contact with snakes. In the event of a snakebite, people are urged to act correctly by administering proper first aid and avoiding harmful practices, then to seek care early by getting the victim to a health facility as quickly as possible.