NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya is developing its first domestically produced antivenom as the country steps up efforts to tackle snakebites, which affect more than 19,000 people and kill over 1,000 annually.
Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni said hundreds of survivors are also left with permanent physical disabilities, with rural and pastoral communities carrying the heaviest burden.
Children are among those most exposed to snakebites in affected communities.
“Every year, more than 19,000 Kenyans are bitten by snakes, over 1,000 lose their lives, and hundreds more are left with permanent physical disabilities,” Muthoni said.
She spoke as Kenya marked International Snakebite Awareness Day on September 19, with the national commemoration held in Baringo County.
This year’s event was organised under the theme, “Know it. Respect it. Survive it.”
Counties carrying Kenya’s heaviest burden
Data from the Kenya Institute of Primate Research identifies Turkana and Baringo among the counties most affected by snakebites.
Other high-burden counties include Kitui, West Pokot, Tana River, Samburu, Kilifi and Narok, as well as the North Eastern counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera.
Muthoni said the Ministry of Health had completed county-level mapping of snakebite hotspots to guide the targeted distribution of antivenom and strengthen emergency response in the affected areas.
Snakebite envenoming has also been recognised as a priority neglected tropical disease and incorporated into Kenya’s National Neglected Tropical Diseases Masterplan for 2023–2027.
Kenya developing its first local antivenom
The PS said Kenya was developing its first domestically produced antivenom through the Kenya Institute of Primate Research.
The antivenom is being developed using venom profiles from snake species found in Kenya. The initiative is intended to produce treatment suited to locally relevant species.
The government is also establishing a National Antivenom Quality Control Laboratory at the institute to strengthen quality assurance and ensure available antivenoms meet efficacy standards.
“We are developing Kenya’s first domestically produced antivenom, using venom profiles from locally relevant snake species,” Muthoni said.
The country currently depends on imported antivenoms, with access to timely and appropriate treatment remaining a challenge in some rural and pastoral areas.
More than 5,000 health promoters trained
Muthoni said more than 5,000 Community Health Promoters had been trained across snakebite-endemic counties.
The health promoters have been equipped to identify households at risk, share prevention information, administer correct first aid, report cases and facilitate the timely referral of victims to health facilities.
The government has also integrated mandatory snakebite case reporting into the Kenya Health Information System at all health facility levels.
Community surveillance has been activated through the Electronic Community Health Information System, while snakebite monitoring has been incorporated into mass drug administration campaigns conducted through existing neglected tropical disease programmes.
Kenya takes global leadership role
Kenya is serving as a co-chair of the Global Snakebite Taskforce, a position the government says it will use to support international efforts to reduce snakebite deaths and disabilities.
The country also led a member-state side event during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, helping return snakebite envenoming to the assembly’s agenda for the first time since 2020.
Globally, between 4.5 million and 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Between 1.8 million and 2.7 million develop clinical illness, while between 81,000 and 138,000 die from related complications.
Muthoni urged people living in high-risk areas to observe three life-saving messages: “Prevent, Act Right and Seek Care Early.”
She called on Kenyans to avoid unnecessary contact with snakes, administer appropriate first aid and take victims to a health facility as quickly as possible.
