Amref launches pilot project to curb drug-resistant infections in Busia, Siaya and Nyeri
Antibiotics. Africa is experiencing increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance to commonly available treatment options.
What you need to know:
- Amref seeksi to curb antimicrobial resistance through surveillance, awareness, and stewardship.
- Project highlights data gaps, low awareness, and calls for centralised AMR repository to guide future policy.
Three counties are set to benefit from Sh15 million funding to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by strengthening surveillance, raising public awareness, and promoting the responsible use of antibiotics in both human and animal health.
The initiative will be rolled out in one sub-county each in Busia, Siaya, and Nyeri through the Leadership for AMR Action Project, a pilot programme by Amref Health Africa aimed at addressing the growing threat of drug-resistant infections.
Speaking during a planning workshop in Nakuru, Dr Katayi Sylvano, Busia’s County Antimicrobial Focal Person, said the county’s location on the border with Uganda makes it a hotspot for the spread of AMR due to high levels of cross-border trade and human movement. He noted that an ongoing study is tracking resistance patterns among truck drivers at the border.
In Nyeri, despite having an ISO-certified laboratory, AMR remains a pressing challenge. James Kimani, Acting Director of Solid Waste Management and environment focal person in the County Antimicrobial Stewardship Interagency Committee, said misuse in both human and animal health—particularly the unsupervised use of antibiotics in livestock—is fuelling resistance and undermining the county’s capacity to respond.
Dr Daisy Apunda, a pharmacist at Yala Sub-County Hospital in Siaya, said AMR is a growing concern, with resistance observed even in third-generation antibiotics. She stressed that while attention often focuses on urban areas, rural communities face significant risks, adding that self-medication in areas with low health literacy could worsen the crisis.
Varying trends
According to Project Manager Dennis Kinyua, the programme builds on an AMR landscape analysis conducted in September 2024 in Kilifi, Nyeri, Kajiado, Kisii, and Siaya. The analysis revealed low public knowledge and awareness, widespread sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, and gaps in both laboratory and governance systems, with trends varying across counties.
“The same challenges we identified—from knowledge gaps on AMR to low public awareness—cut across the implementing counties. One of our biggest hurdles is the lack of comprehensive AMR data. There is an urgent need for government intervention to establish a central repository for collecting and analysing AMR data to guide policy and action,” Mr Kinyua said.
The project, implemented under the One Health approach and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Plc, will run for 18 months.
