Cancer tops female deaths as pneumonia claims most men in Kenya

Cancer emerged as the leading cause of death among Kenyan women in 2024, while pneumonia continued to take a heavy toll on men, according to the Kenya Vital Statistics Report 2024 released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Out of 50,926 registered female deaths, 4,498 were attributed to cancer, marking a sharp rise in fatalities linked to the disease. This places cancer as the second leading cause of death overall in Kenya for the second consecutive year — a significant shift from its fifth-place ranking in 2021.

Pneumonia remained the top killer among men for the fourth year running, accounting for 5,244 of the 62,451 male deaths recorded in 2024. Among women, however, pneumonia was only the leading cause in 2023 and 2021. In other years, women succumbed more to cardiovascular diseases (2020 and 2022).

In health facilities across the country, pneumonia, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases were the primary culprits of death. Outside these facilities, the leading causes shifted slightly to sudden death, followed by pneumonia and cancer — indicating that many fatalities continue to occur without immediate medical intervention.

The data also exposed gender-specific health vulnerabilities. HIV/AIDS featured among the top ten causes of death for women, but not for men, signaling persistent gendered health inequalities in the country’s disease burden.

Regional Death Certificate Trends

Nationally, 152,398 death certificates were issued in 2024 — a notable drop from 225,468 in 2023. Urban and more populous counties topped the list: Nairobi led with 16,306 certificates, followed by Kiambu (8,171), the National Registry (7,222), Kisumu (6,535), and Uasin Gishu (6,215).

Conversely, Samburu (423), Turkana (520), Lamu (544), Bomet (613), and West Pokot (613) issued the fewest death certificates, suggesting potential underreporting or challenges in civil registration access in these regions.

Alarming Under-Five and Infant Deaths

The report also documented 28,762 under-five deaths, broken down into 14,873 boys and 13,887 girls. Turkana, West Pokot, and Mombasa counties reported the highest proportions of under-five deaths relative to total registered deaths — at 33.5%, 29.4%, and 24.6%, respectively.

In contrast, Wajir (1.3%), Mandera (1.7%), and Marsabit (1.9%) recorded the lowest proportions of deaths among children under five — although these figures could reflect disparities in reporting.

Infant deaths were highest in Nairobi (3,281), followed by Nakuru (1,508), Kiambu (1,267), and Mombasa (1,092). At the other end of the spectrum, Mandera (4), Wajir (13), and Marsabit (15) had the fewest registered infant deaths.

Encouragingly, neonatal deaths dropped from 12,175 in 2023 to 10,930 in 2024, signaling possible improvements in maternal and newborn care interventions.

Gender Patterns in Death Registrations

The 2024 statistics also highlighted that males dominated registered deaths across most marital categories: single (62.5%), married (63.3%), and divorced (63.5%). In contrast, widowed deaths were overwhelmingly female (76.8%), reflecting women’s longer life expectancy and higher likelihood of surviving spouses.

Notably, Kiambu County recorded the highest proportion of registered deaths among single individuals at 25.6%, followed by Kajiado at 24%.

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The KNBS findings not only reflect health challenges and demographic shifts in Kenya, but also emphasize the urgent need for targeted health interventions, especially in cancer prevention, pneumonia management, and maternal and child healthcare. As counties and national agencies plan future health responses, data-driven approaches will be crucial in reducing premature deaths and improving life expectancy across the country.