Nairobi, Kenya – Kenya has achieved a major public health milestone, with the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declaring the elimination of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, as a public health problem on August 8, 2025. The success makes Kenya the 10th country to eradicate the disease and the second to eliminate a neglected tropical disease, following Guinea worm in 2018.
The achievement is a culmination of decades of research, prominently led by Professor Joseph Ndung’u, Chancellor of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). Professor Ndung’u’s work, which included the development of the first-ever rapid diagnostic test in 2012 through the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), was critical in drastically reducing cases from 28,000 in 1999 to below 600 by 2024.
Economic Threat Remains
While the human health victory is being celebrated, business and agriculture leaders are now shifting focus to the persistent economic threat posed by the vector-borne disease to the country’s livestock.
During the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) conference in Nairobi, Mutahi Kagwe, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, underscored the severe financial toll of the animal form of the disease, known as nagana.
“More than 23% of Kenya’s land mass is infested with tsetse flies that infect our livestock and affect people’s livelihoods and, therefore, the country’s economy,” Kagwe stated. “We lose more than US$123 million worth of livestock annually due to tsetse flies. I urge our scientists to now find ways to protect our animals.”
The loss of productivity is a continent-wide issue. Dr. Huyam Salih of the African Union’s InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) highlighted that trypanosomiasis affects 38 African countries, with annual losses from reduced meat and milk production, treatment costs, and vector control estimated at US$1.2 billion. Total annual loss to agricultural production across tsetse-infested regions is estimated at US$5 billion.
The Way Forward: One Health
Industry experts stress that a ‘One Health’ approach—which recognizes the deep interconnection between livestock production, public health, and ecosystem integrity—is essential to sustain the human victory and tackle the animal disease.
Dr. Salih emphasized the need to match the human health success in animal production, noting that animals act as disease reservoirs. Control measures must now include robust animal surveillance and management.
Professor Ndung’u noted that funding for such neglected diseases has historically been a significant barrier, often relying on support from philanthropic organisations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
