How data gaps leave 39pc of health targets untracked

The data gap is due to fragmented data systems, reliance on donor-funded surveys, limited domestic financing and the exclusion of community and administrative data from official statistics.

According to the policy brief, the root of Kenya’s data challenge are structural and financial. Most national health data originates from donor-funded surveys, such as the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) and the Kenya Aids Indicator Survey (KAIS), which are conducted every five to 10 years.

"It is worth noting that, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), administrative data remains the main source of data for SDG indicators in Kenya, contributing 67 percent of the data. This is followed by census and survey data (32 percent), and recently adopted citizen-generated data (one percent). These data sources underscore the importance of strengthening collaboration and technical capacity within the National Statistical Systems (NSS) to ensure that data is timely, usable and inclusive,” the policy reads.

While Kenya has made significant progress in expanding health coverage and introducing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), the report indicates that its ability to measure progress remains limited.

The country is struggling to report on 11 crucial global indicators that form the other half of SDG 3—those focusing on mental health, substance use and the strength of the health system itself.

The absence of data on alcohol consumption, tobacco use and drug treatment coverage makes it difficult to assess whether Kenya is reducing harmful behaviour linked to chronic disease and social harm. Similarly, suicide rates remain largely undocumented, meaning the true extent of the country’s mental health crisis remains unclear.

Another key issue is the lack of data on health workforce density and distribution, which is an important indicator for ensuring that there are enough doctors, nurses and midwives to serve all Kenyans. Without this data, equitable staffing planning, especially in rural areas, becomes guesswork.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends 44.5 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, but Kenya’s ratio stands at only 13.8 per 10,000 — a figure drawn from incomplete ministry data in 2020.

The country also lacks consolidated data on the availability of essential medicines in health facilities, which is crucial for measuring access to life-saving drugs, especially for those in poverty. Similarly, indicators tracking antimicrobial resistance, unsafe sanitation, unintentional poisoning and hepatitis C are missing, despite their growing global relevance.

“These data gaps, combined with systemic, capacity-related issues and institutional challenges, greatly affect SDG monitoring, tracking, reporting, and ultimately planning, as well as the development and implementation of effective policies,” the brief reads.

However, Kenya’s reporting is strongest in areas where data systems have been in place for decades and are supported by international partnerships. These include maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and immunisation programmes.

Kenya’s biggest successes come from long-running health programmes. The maternal mortality ratio, for instance, has dropped from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008 to approximately 355 in 2022, according to KDHS data. Childhood survival has also improved, with under-five mortality falling from 52 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 41 in 2022.

Immunisation coverage remains one of Kenya’s strongest indicators —82 percent of children received all basic vaccines by age one in 2022. The country also reports steady declines in HIV prevalence, which dropped from 5.9 percent in 2015 to 4.7 percent in 2023, according to the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids.

These improvements reflect well-established data collection systems under disease programmes like HIV, TB, malaria and maternal health — areas that receive consistent international support and regular monitoring.

The country regularly monitors maternal mortality rates and the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel, which are key indicators of safer childbirth and women’s access to healthcare. It also monitors under-five and neonatal mortality rates, which help to gauge improvements in child survival.

Similarly, Kenya collects data on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria through disease-specific surveillance programmes. This data guides public health campaigns and resource allocation. Tracking immunisation coverage measures protection against preventable diseases.

Monitoring deaths from road traffic injuries and non-communicable diseases supports broader prevention efforts.

While KNBS ensures strict adherence to quality standards, the policy brief notes that this sometimes results in data from ministries or local initiatives that do not fit formal criteria being excluded.

Consequently, valuable community data, such as reports from health volunteers or small-scale research projects, is rarely incorporated into national statistics.

The fragmentation of systems across different institutions and limited domestic funding for data infrastructure have further widened the reporting gap.

“Combining stable domestic financing with innovative approaches can diversify funding sources, enhance resilience and create a more sustainable and inclusive data ecosystem”, the report stated.

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