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Published: 11 August 2025

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) congratulates the Republic of Kenya on receiving World Health Organization (WHO) validation for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) – also known as sleeping sickness- as a public health problem.

Kenya is now the tenth African Union Member State to achieve this milestone, joining Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda.

This marks the second neglected tropical disease (NTD) eliminated in Kenya, following the country’s certification as free of Guinea worm disease in 2018.

Globally, 57 countries have eliminated at least one NTD. Of these, 10; including Kenya have successfully eliminated HAT as a public health threat.

Human African trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne disease transmitted to humans by tsetse flies infected with parasites. People living in rural areas who rely on agriculture, fishing, livestock, or hunting are most at risk. HAT is found only in Africa. The disease progresses quickly, invading multiple organs, including the brain, and is fatal within weeks if untreated.

Kenya attributes its success to multiple approaches and interventions, including strengthened disease surveillance, active monitoring, and control of both the parasite and the tsetse fly vector, even in areas beyond historical hotspots.

This key milestone reflects Kenya’s efforts and commitment over many years, as a collaboration between national and county governments, research institutions, development partners, and affected communities. The country remains fully committed to sustaining high-quality care and surveillance in line with WHO’s recommendations.

Dr Patrick Amoth, EBS, Director General for Health, Ministry of Health, Kenya (source: WHO)

This achievement adds to a growing number of NTD elimination milestones across Africa in 2025, including in Senegal, Burundi, Mauritania, Guinea, and Niger, serving as a powerful and encouraging reminder that ending NTDs is both possible and within reach.