Every year on the second Thursday of March, World Kidney Day is celebrated to increase awareness on the important role that kidneys play in our bodies.

Kenya joined the world to celebrate kidney day with an awareness walk that began at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and went through Ngong Road, Mbagathi Road and Link Road before connecting back to Kenyatta National Hospital.

The walk was flagged off by the Head of the Directorate of non-communicable disease at the Ministry of Health Elizabeth Onyango and the Kenya prisons band.

According to the Ministry of Health, kidney diseases are projected to become the fifth leading cause of premature deaths globally by 2040. The ministry of health estimates that more than 1.8 million people in Kenya suffer from chronic kidney disease.

“High prevalence, late diagnosis, limited access to treatment and poor control of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are major contributors to chronic kidney disease,” said Dr. Onyango.

It is further estimated that almost 500,000 Kenyans are living with chronic kidney disease and more than 6000 patients are on dialysis in Kenya.

Kenyan Renal Association chair, Doctor John Ngige said: “We are seeing fewer and fewer people going out of the country to seek kidney transportation, of course, we got challenges that are not as mountable and I believe we are going to go steps ahead to meet these challenges.”

Doctors are urging the government to allocate adequate finances to enable the recruitment of more paediatricians and nephrologists in the country.

This year World Kidney Day is celebrated under the theme, “preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable”.