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).
Speaking on during World Kidney Day 2026 with the theme “Kidney Health For All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet”, marking 20 Years of Global Action on kidney health, at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Memorial grounds, Dr. Andrew Wandera, Senior Director Clinical Services, speaking on behalf of MTRH CEO Dr. Philip Kirwa, said the global event is important and they are linking it to the health of the planet because kidney health is linked to the health of the environment and planet.
He revealed MTRH has been instrumental in offering comprehensive services to all patients with kidney issues, right from screening for kidney diseases to medical treatment for those found with diseases.
“For those who have kidney failures, we do dialysis, and we do between 25,000 and 30,000 dialysis sessions per year. This is one of the few centers where we also do dialysis for children who have kidney diseases.) Other than dialysis for those patients whose kidneys will not recover, the ones who have chronic kidney failure usually they require a kidney transplant,” he said.
Additionally, they offer transplant services, from preparation for transplant and the transplant surgery, both for the donor and the recipient, and post-transplant care. So far, MTRH has performed close to 200 transplant surgeries and also takes care of those patients and others who have been transplanted elsewhere through the post-transplant service.
He emphasized ethical integrity in the transplant services, warning those who come to the hospital asking to sell kidneys. He clarified that at MTRH, they don’t buy kidneys. He indicated that their services are very ethical in that kidney donors have to give their kidneys voluntarily. Usually, it is relatives of the kidney who donate to their relatives.
“So we would ask the public, you know, we don’t want people to come to MTRH requesting to sell their kidneys. We don’t buy kidneys. And we don’t encourage any patient to buy kidneys from others. The services are offered transparently and very ethically,” clarified Dr. Wandera.
In regard to linking kidney health to the planet, the senior director of clinical services explained that a lot of kidney diseases arise from environmental issues, especially toxins, adding that there are also other conditions that result from chronic dehydration.
“So it is in our interest that we take care of the planet, that our planet is toxin-free. And we don’t have issues of drought and so on, because that can contribute to kidney injury. Caring for patients with kidney diseases also requires a lot of water, clean water. If we don’t have water that is very clean, then we have to incur a lot of expenses to purify this water. So when we have a clean environment, we can get clean water,” he added.
Dr. Wandera also called for proper disposal of consumables in an environmentally friendly manner, as done at MTRH, as they remain focused on ensuring that all our medical waste is disposed of properly, with minimal harm to the environment.
“We have incinerators that do not produce smoke. And that is how we dispose of some of this waste. I think that is what I could say for now, unless there are any questions, before we invite our colleagues and patients in.
He further raised concern over an increase in the number of patients who require dialysis, and especially patients who require permanent catheters, because those are not covered very well, and the private hospitals have difficulty offering that service, but it is a service they continue to offer at MTRH.
Philip Cheptinga, the Head of nephrology at MTRH, encouraged Kenyans to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and ensure they pay monthly contributions in order to access health services, especially critical ones like kidney disease.
“I just wanted to reiterate that the SHA actually covers 100 percent of dialysis. Per session, it covers Sh 10,000 to Sh 150,000. While if you are preparing for a transplant, the SHA pays 150,000 out of the required maybe Sh 200,000 to Sh 300,000. So there is still a small fee that needs to be paid by the patient,” he noted.
He revealed that during a kidney transplant at MTRH, it is 100 percent covered by the SHA, where the recipient is required to pay Sh 700,000 while the donor pays approximately Sh 180,000.
Kidney patients led by Titus Terigin, who has lived 26 years since undergoing a kidney transplant, thanked the government for availing SHA to cover their drugs, like the anti-rejection drugs, noting they had been burdened before since they had to pay the drugs from their pockets despite economic challenges.
“Ever since, we have been paying for ourselves, and the cost is about Sh 50,000. And we thank the government because they cover the whole of that. SHA covers it under the kidney replacement therapy scheme. And MTRH provides these drugs for us,” he noted.
They, however, called for increased allocation on kidney transplant services to cover lab tests, supplementary drugs and other services not currently covered at level 6 hospitals.
“And the other thing the government on SHA is that because allocation is about Sh 200,000 annually and the drugs cost about Sh 50,000, that if they could increase that amount to Sh 500,000, we would really be happy,” added Terigin.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is frequently referred to as a “silent killer” as it often shows no symptoms until the late stages, with patients potentially losing up to 90 percent of their kidney function before experiencing symptoms
It is primarily caused by long-term damage from high blood sugar and high blood pressure, which destroy the kidney’s filtering units. Other key causes include autoimmune diseases like lupus, genetic conditions like polycystic kidney disease, prolonged urinary blockages, and the chronic misuse of certain medications like ibuprofen.
While currently ranked between 9th and 10th leading causes of death globally, it is expected to become the 5th leading cause of death globally due to its rapidly rising cases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects approximately 788 million people globally as of 2023, with prevalence, driven by diabetes, hypertension, and aging, rising to 14.2 percent. It is a leading cause of death, responsible for nearly 1.5 million deaths annually, and is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2050.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
