Report: Over half of all hospital deaths now caused by lifestyle diseases
If you are a cholesterol hyper-absorber, you need to be extra cautious when eating cholesterol-rich foods as they can spike cholesterol levels more than they do for 70 per cent of the population. Your best bet is a plant-based diet.
What you need to know:
Non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease account for 39 per cent of all deaths in Kenya, with poor diet a key driver.
A nationwide survey revealed widespread consumption of processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, especially among women and children.
The Ministry of Health is rolling out new food labelling rules, nutrient limits, and marketing restrictions to curb lifestyle diseases.
Nearly four out of every 10 deaths in Kenya are now caused by non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer—a growing public health catastrophe fuelled by processed foods laden with sugar, salt and fat.
The alarming statistics from the Kenya Nutrient Profile Model (KNPM) 2025 report by the Ministry of Health reveal that NCDs account for 39 per cent of all deaths, over 50 per cent of hospital admissions and 55 per cent of hospital deaths in the country.
The findings paint a grim picture of a nation grappling with a dietary crisis, where at least one in four adults aged 18-69 years and four per cent of children under five are either overweight or obese. The ministry warns that excess consumption of foods high in calories, fats and sugar, combined with inadequate physical activity, is directly associated with increased risk of overweight and obesity.
Survey exposes processed food menace
The Health Ministry, working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, conducted a survey across eight counties—Nairobi, Machakos, Marsabit, Kajiado, Turkana, Kisii, Mombasa and Garissa—representing Kenya's diverse agro-ecological zones.
These counties were strategically selected based on their centrality in food access, geographical location, unique produce and value-added products, as well as their proximity to neighbouring countries that facilitate access to cross-border food supplies. This selection ensured the survey captured the full spectrum of Kenya's food consumption patterns across different economic and geographical contexts.
"The purpose of the survey was to collect data on nutrient information in pre-packaged foods that are locally available in markets," the ministry explained, noting that food listing was conducted with the specific purpose of collecting comprehensive information on the current nutritional information declared on pre-packaged foods consumed across Kenya.
The ministry identified unhealthy diets—characterised by foods and beverages high in fat, salt and sugar—as one of the major modifiable risk factors for NCDs. The research underscores how dietary shifts, combined with decreased physical activity levels, have created a perfect storm for the proliferation of lifestyle diseases across all demographic groups.
The crisis disproportionately affects women, with 36.9 per cent of Kenyan women aged 18 and above being overweight and 13.4 per cent obese, representing a combined total of over half the adult female population struggling with weight-related health issues. In sharp contrast, 17.3 per cent of men are overweight and 3.6 per cent are obese.
Overweight and obesity increase the risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses, musculoskeletal problems, fertility concerns among others.
These ministry findings align closely with the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022, which corroborated the trend by showing that 45 per cent of women and 19 per cent of men are either obese or overweight. The consistency between these two major health surveys underscores the reliability of the data and the severity of the gender-based health disparity.
"Additionally, overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5-19 years is on an alarming upward trajectory, rising dramatically from 9.8 per cent in 2000 to 25.9 per cent in 2019, with girls being more affected," the report observes.
This 19-year trend shows the problem has been building momentum for nearly two decades, suggesting that an entire generation of Kenyans is growing up with fundamentally altered relationships with food and nutrition.
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Dangerous dietary patterns
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni painted a stark picture of how fundamental changes in eating habits have created a health crisis of unprecedented proportions.
"Kenya, like many other countries, faces a growing challenge of diet-related non-communicable diseases, driven by changing dietary patterns and lifestyle factors," Muthoni explained. "The consumption of foods high in fats, sugars and salt has led to increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and various cancers."
She emphasised that these dietary shifts, alongside decreased physical activity, have contributed to rising obesity rates across all demographics, with impacts especially pronounced among youth, women and urban populations.
It has become hard to escape unhealthy food in the country. There are posters everywhere. In supermarkets, on bus stops and billboards, full colour displays of mouthwatering deals for fizzy drinks, burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, you name it, catch your attention.
The Kenya STEPwise survey in 2015 revealed shocking patterns: 94 per cent of the population does not meet recommended fruit and vegetable intake, nearly 25 per cent consistently add salt to food before or during meals, four per cent frequently consume processed foods high in salt, and 84 per cent regularly add sugar when preparing beverages at home.
Current food labelling system fails consumers
Health experts have identified a critical gap in consumer protection, noting that inadequate knowledge and a lack of consumer awareness about risk factors associated with excessive consumption of harmful nutrients have contributed to Kenya's rising NCD burden.
"The current food labelling system (back-of-pack label) does not assist consumers to easily identify pre-packaged products containing excessive nutrients of concern," the report states.
Kenya has adopted the WHO ranges for population dietary intake goals. "These goals guided the calculations of thresholds of nutrients of concern—specifically salt, total sugar, fat, and saturated fatty acids content—across all food categories," PS Muthoni explained.
PS Muthoni noted that Kenya's processed foods problem is compounded by marketing campaigns that promote these products as healthy alternatives.
"Based on what we have found, this makes it extremely difficult for consumers to make healthy dietary choices, thus exacerbating the prevalence of NCDs," she said.
Only one in 10 products meets health standards
The scale of the problem became clearer through the Kenya Market Assessment Report 2025 by the Access to Nutrition Initiative, which assessed over 740 packaged food and beverage products.
The assessment found that only 10 per cent of products passed the healthy threshold set by KNPM, while merely 14 per cent were eligible to be marketed to children under WHO Africa guidelines.
"These findings underscore the urgent need for policy reform and industry accountability," PS Muthoni said. "We cannot achieve better health outcomes if our markets are flooded with unhealthy products. The food environment must be transformed into a vehicle for nutrition, not disease."
A customer checks food labelling in a supermarket. Detailed nutrient information found on the back of food packaging are effective in guiding consumers towards healthier food options.
Government unveils comprehensive response
The Health Ministry is implementing a comprehensive food environment policy to combat diet-related NCDs.
The Kenya Nutrient Profile Model will guide regulatory thresholds for sugar, sodium and saturated fats in processed foods. The government is also developing front-of-pack nutrition labelling to help consumers make healthier choices.
Additional measures include restrictions on marketing unhealthy foods to children, healthy food procurement guidelines for public institutions, and fiscal policies to discourage unhealthy food consumption while promoting nutritious options.
Read also: Kenya's food basket under threat: Unpredictable weather plunges Nyandarua into food insecurity
New food standards set
Under the new guidelines, all processed foods should contain no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fats (iTFAs) per 100 grams of total fat, bringing Kenya in line with WHO recommendations.
The standards exclude food products specifically manufactured for infants and young children below 36 months, which are regulated under the Kenya Breast Milk Substitutes Act, as well as food products for special medical purposes, natural herbs and spices, plain tea, plain coffee and alcoholic beverages.
KNPM has organised foods into 11 comprehensive broad categories: confectioneries, bakery products, cereals and cereal products, ready-to-eat snacks, beverages, composite foods, butter and fat spreads and oil emulsions, processed meat, fish and poultry products, fruits and vegetables, sauces, dips, other seasonings, soups and dressings, and dairy products, dairy analogues and ices.
These categories were developed based on Codex general standards for food additives categorisation concept and the WHO AFRO Nutrient Profile Model, then customised to incorporate foods and beverages commonly consumed in Kenya.
"According to our report, the 11 broad food categories were based on the nature and presentation of the products with a nutrient threshold applying to each food category," PS Muthoni explained. "The categories aim at grouping products with the same or similar ingredients and whose intended use is similar, and this grouping makes it possible to have a nutrient threshold applicable to all the individual products."
Surprising reasons why you should be cooking your food. Photo | Photosearch
The nutritional standards are based on average daily energy requirements of 2,100 kilocalories per person. Daily energy intake is distributed across three meals, contributing 30 per cent each, with the remaining 10 per cent split between two snacks.
Sugar thresholds are calculated as 10 per cent of a product's total energy divided by 4kcal to convert into grams. Fat thresholds represent 30 per cent of total energy divided by 9kcal, while saturated fat thresholds are 10 per cent divided by 9kcal. For sodium, the threshold is based on a 1mg:1kcal ratio.
With NCDs now consuming 11 per cent of national health expenditure, the government's intervention comes at a critical time when lifestyle diseases threaten to overwhelm Kenya's healthcare system.
