Country Program: Kenya

Kenya has a current population of 57 million. It has a democratic government and is known to be a relatively stable country, but struggles with corruption, poverty, and ethnic tensions. The last few decades have seen economic growth, but over 30% of the country’s population still lives below the UN poverty line of $1.90 per day.

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Kenya is ranked 152nd out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI). The index value ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 is the worst and 1 is the best value. Kenya is at 0.58. Out of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals, Kenya faces challenges with many of them. On a positive note, since the AIDS epidemic ravaged the country in the 1980s and 90s, the average life expectancy has increased from 50 in 2005 to almost 70 in 2024.

Child mortality has decreased from 76 in 2005 to 37 per 1000 children under 5 years old. The population growth rate is now 2.06% per year.

Below is a summation of the key issues Kenya is facing in regards to eye health challenges:

The Scope of the Crisis:

Widespread Impairment: An estimated 7 million people (12% of Kenya’s population) suffer from vision impairment severe enough to hinder their daily lives.

Impact on Youth: This crisis affects 1.2 million children and youth under 18. Because childhood blindness restricts access to education, it severely limits their future opportunities.

Population Growth: The crisis is growing because the development of eye health services and the training of personnel have failed to keep pace with Kenya's rapidly expanding population.

Severe Workforce Shortages:

General Eye Care: The country has critically low staffing, with only 100-120 practicing ophthalmologists (roughly 2 per million people), 6 opticians per million, and 8 Ophthalmic Clinical Officers (OCOs) per million.

Pediatric Care Gap: Only eight ophthalmologists in the entire country are qualified to perform eye surgery on children. Furthermore, there are no specialized pediatric eye care training programs for OCOs or opticians.

Major Systemic Obstacles

Financial Barriers: Widespread poverty means many people, especially children, simply cannot afford the treatment they need.

Missed National Targets: Despite committing to the WHO’s Vision 2020 initiative in 1999, progress remains slow. The first national strategy (2012-2020) failed to meet its goals, and the 2020-2025 strategy faces the exact same hurdles (poor data, inadequate training, and unequal access between urban and rural areas).

Low Surgical Rates: Kenya’s Cataract Surgery Rate sits at just over 700 per million, falling drastically short of the Vision 2020 target of 3,000 per million.

Taking Action:

Right to Sight's Solution: To combat this vast amount of preventable blindness, Right to Sight is focusing on training eye care professionals to create a sustainable, long-term solution.