Haleon Kenya Ltd and Amref Health Kenya have formalized a major partnership aimed at combating malaria through robust community-led health initiatives in one of the country’s hardest-hit regions.
The collaboration, signed today in Nairobi, focuses on reducing the impact of malaria in Siaya County by bolstering prevention, awareness, and treatment interventions at the grassroots level.
Malaria remains a devastating public health challenge in Kenya, with an estimated 75 per cent of the population at risk. Western counties, including Siaya—selected for this initiative—face exceptionally high prevalence due to factors like their tropical climate, proximity to Lake Victoria, and challenges in accessing healthcare. Official figures from the Ministry of Health (2024) indicate that Kenya records approximately 3.4 million new malaria cases and over 11,000 related deaths annually.
This joint initiative is structured to make a significant dent in these figures, aiming to reach approximately 75,000 people. Key beneficiaries include:
- Community Health Promoters (CHPs): 200 CHPs and 30 Community Health Assistants (CHAs) will be trained.
- Schoolchildren: 45,600 students and 190 teachers will receive critical health education.
The core of the partnership revolves around a multi-pronged strategy focused on education and resource distribution:
- Community Education: Training healthcare workers and CHPs on effective fever management associated with malaria.
- Prevention: Distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) to vulnerable populations.
- WHO-Aligned Treatment: Promoting responsible fever management at the community level, in line with the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of paracetamol (marketed by Haleon as Panadol) as a first-line treatment for malaria-related fever relief. The initiative explicitly promotes this without a commercial focus, emphasizing accessible, evidence-based solutions.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Himanshu Raj, General Manager of Haleon Sub-Saharan Africa, underscored the purpose-driven nature of the collaboration.
“This partnership with Amref reflects our purpose to deliver better everyday health with humanity by empowering communities to manage malaria and fever more effectively,” Raj said. “Through this initiative, we are putting health in more hands.”
Dr. Meshack Ndirangu, Amref Health Kenya’s Country Director, highlighted the critical role of cross-sectoral collaboration in achieving global health goals.
“Public–private partnerships like this are vital for achieving lasting health impact,” stated Dr. Ndirangu. “By combining Amref’s community health expertise with Haleon’s leadership in consumer health, we are building a strong platform to reduce the malaria burden.”
Dr. Ndirangu further noted that this effort directly supports Amref’s “Malaria and Climate Big Bet,” which aims to achieve a 90% reduction in malaria cases by 2030 through climate-resilient strategies.
The partnership is also informed by insights from the Health Inclusivity Index, an international study supported by Haleon. In Kenya, the Index highlights that improving health literacy could generate annual economic gains of up to USD 186 million by reducing the prevalence of low health literacy by just 25%.
The Panadol–Amref collaboration aims to translate these economic and social insights into tangible action, providing vulnerable populations with access to quality, affordable healthcare solutions and knowledge. This initiative reinforces Haleon’s commitment to advancing the WHO’s aligned fever management protocol across malaria-endemic regions.