Kenya’s Ministry of Health, in partnership with non-profit social enterprise, Doctors for Healthy Living (D4HL) and the National Treasury, conducted a staff wellness screening session at the National Treasury Building.
During the exercise, 154 staff members were screened and received personalised medical advice from healthcare professionals present at the event.
The wellness check was held in the lead-up to World Diabetes Day 2025 (WDD 2025), which will be commemorated globally on 14th November under the theme, Diabetes and Well-being at the Workplace.
This year’s theme draws attention to the daily challenges faced by millions of people with diabetes in managing their condition within the workplace including, stigma, discrimination, and exclusion – factors that can negatively affect their health, productivity, and overall wellbeing.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, seven in 10 people living with diabetes are of working age. Four in five people living with diabetes experience diabetes burnout.
These challenges contribute to reduced workforce productivity and, consequently, affect overall national economic performance.
Like all Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), diabetes cases have been on the rise in Kenya. The 2018 Kenya National Diabetes Study estimates that diabetes affects 4.5 percent of the population, with a higher prevalence among men and older adults.
A 2022 Cost of Illness Study further estimated the annual cost of diabetes in Kenya at KES 24.6 billion, with urban areas bearing a higher economic burden.
“Locally, this rise is largely explained by the demographic and epidemiological transition whereby an increasingly ageing and urbanising population witnesses a public health shift from predominantly ill-health due to infectious diseases to NCDs and injuries,” noted the director general of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth during the launch of the National Clinical Guidelines on Management of Diabetes Mellitus.
The screening exercise was conducted under D4HL’s flagship campaign, Know Your Numbers, which encourages individuals to know their five critical health indicators: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol level, waist circumference, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
“I am happy to say that we partnered with D4HL, a well-known organisation that has been at the forefront on promoting wellness initiatives, in rolling out the Know Your Numbers Campaign among MoH staff in May this year,” said director of MOH’s division of cancer and NCDs, Dr Gladwell Gatheca.
We will continue to work with D4HL to ensure that more Kenyans are screened and educated.” added Dr Gathecha.
The partnership between the Ministry of Health and D4HL reflects a shared commitment to promoting preventive healthcare by expanding opportunities for routine wellness screening and empowering Kenyans to take charge of their health.
The main national commemoration for World Diabetes Day 2025 will be held at Nairobi West Prison Grounds on Friday, November 14, 2025, led by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Nairobi City County Government and other partners that include the NCD Alliance of Kenya, World Diabetes Foundation, Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Centre, Kenya Red Cross Society, Doctors for Healthy Living, and Eye and U Kenya.
