Experts warn of growing malaria drug resistance

 

End Malaria Council’s US embassy Nairobi representative Mildred Shieshia, PS Mary Muthoni and Jhpiego country director Paul Nyachae at World Malaria Day in Nairobi, April 23, 2026. [David Gichuru, Standard]

Health experts are raising concerns over the growing resistance of malaria disease-causing agents, attributed to climate change.

The experts warn that due to resistance, the current regimen and therapies are not treating the leading killer disease.

JHPIEGO Country Director Paul Nyachae says there is a need for researchers, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, to develop multiple therapies to treat the disease.

Kenya has four drugs that treat the disease in both children and adults.

 

Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Health, Mary Muthoni. 2026. [David Gichuru, Standard]

“We are seeing resistance to malaria, which is a major concern in Kenya. This is happening at a time the country has very few drugs that, if we are not able to use properly, we are likely to catch the disease,” said Dr Nyachae.

Malaria pathogens are also reported to be resistant to mosquito nets, and repellents are also reported to be resistant to mosquitoes that transmit malaria.

“We are trying to have multiple drugs to reduce resistance against the four drugs we have in circulation. There are more antibiotics, but malaria has few drugs,” said the official.

Nyachae added that, because of climate change, malaria parasites are now being reported in regions and counties that never reported cases before.

Garissa, Turkana and Mandera are some of the counties that are now reporting malaria infections.

Nyachae’s sentiments were echoed by Amref Health Africa Country Director Meshack Ndirangu, who added that climate change and resistance have made it hard to eliminate malaria.

“We have come a long way. We are on the right track in eradicating malaria, but it is not easy because we have to confront climate change,” said Dr Ndirangu.

He noted that, generally, global warming is changing how the malaria vector behaves.

The female anopheles mosquitoes, he said, are thriving across the country, coupled with the invasion of other species, like anopheles stephansi (an. stephensi), that were not dominant.

With the invasion of other mosquito species, some towns that never used to report malaria are now reporting cases, and even deaths.

Unlike other dominant mosquito vectors, the an. Stephansi has the ability to develop in man-made containers, both in clean water and in contaminated water.

The invasion of the mosquito species has been reported in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and now Kenya.

“If we are not careful, we might lose the gains we have had in the fight against malaria,” warned the expert.

This was revealed during a media briefing session held in Nairobi ahead of World Malaria Day to be commemorated in Kirinyaga on Saturday. The theme for this year is Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must.

Data by the Ministry of Health shows Kenya has recorded steady progress in the fight against malaria, even as the disease remains a leading cause of illness and death, with at least 4.2 million cases reported in 2024 and approximately 75 per cent of the population still at risk.

Malaria continues to exert pressure on the health system, accounting for 18 per cent of outpatient visits in public health facilities, with the highest burden reported in Siaya, Kisumu, Kakamega, Vihiga, Migori and Busia.

Children under five and pregnant women remain the most affected.

Highlighting the gains, Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni said malaria incidence declined by five per cent between 2023 and 2025.

“Over the past decade, prevalence has dropped from eight per cent to six per cent,” said Muthoni, adding that malaria-related deaths have also fallen by 32 per cent over the previous strategy cycle.

At least 10,700 malaria deaths are reported in the country every year.

The progress reflects sustained national efforts to scale up prevention, diagnosis and treatment interventions.

At least 2.4 million suspected cases of malaria were tested at the household level by Community Health Promoters (CHPs), with 1.5 million positive cases tested through finger pricking since July 2024, noted a report by Amref Health Africa.

The report added that, through concerted efforts, the country is reporting expanded access to community-based service delivery, with 20 per cent of all confirmed cases managed at the community level through community case management of malaria.

“When 20 per cent of malaria cases are managed at the community level, it means a mother in a rural village no longer walks three hours to a facility. She is reached by a community health promoter who lives just down the road,” reads a section of the report.

However, with a drop in funding, more so from the United States government, the PS says there is a need to have the Ministry of Health, with the support of other partners, allocate resources for funding of malaria programmes.