Kenya taps SC Johnson’s financial muscle to combat malaria

The Kenyan Government has deployed a multi-pronged strategy to fight Malaria following a widening funding gap that now stands at Ksh25 billion, with Busia County blazing the trail with the launch of the third phase of Larval Source Management (LSM) initiative funded by SC Johnson.

“When we did the spraying in Busia covering about 17 hectares of breeding ground, we had a 95 percent reduction in the number of adult mosquitoes that could have caused infection,” said Dr Willis Akhwale, a Special Advisor to the End Malaria Council.

The innovative approach aims to reduce malaria transmission by targeting the aquatic stages of mosquito larvae, contributing to the county’s broader malaria control efforts.

“Biolarvicides are sprays that kill young mosquitoes before they become adults by targeting their intestines, ” explained Arthur Odera, the Busia County Deputy Governor and CECM Health & Sanitation.

The project that is funded by SC Johnson, a manufacturer of consumer chemicals such as Raid^™, is part of broader support the multinational has provided, such as resources to rehabilitate a health centre in Malaba, which will be a centre of excellence for malaria prevention and control that will serve the population at the border area.

Earlier this year, the manufacturer announced the opening of high-speed manufacturing lines at its Nairobi, Kenya plant to produce SC Johnson Guardian^™, one of the company’s spatial repellents designed to significantly reduce the presence of mosquitos. At full capacity, SC Johnson expects to produce up to 20 million units of Guardian annually at its Kenya plant and distribute the spatial repellents at no cost to people who need it most via public health channels.

“What we are trying to do is see how we can start promoting local manufacturing of the biolarvicides, mosquito nets and everything we are able to use in the fight against malaria,” said Isaac Maluki, a Member of the End Malaria Council.

“Remember this is not the only strategy. The reason a lot of efforts are being put in Busia County is because in terms of transmission, the county has the highest transmission of malaria in Kenya. Said Dr. Akhwale. The spraying is done using a drone that can carry 30 litres of larvicides and spray more than 25 hectares in a flight.

The application of biolarvicides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) and Bacillus sphaericus, will be carried out using drones to efficiently reach even the most inaccessible breeding sites. These biolarvicides are safe, with no reported harm to humans or animals and are certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health Kenya.

Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Busia County, with the prevalence six times higher than the national average and three times higher than other lake-endemic counties. Approximately 40 percent of all outpatient department visits are due to malaria, and 2 percent of all deaths are attributed to severe malaria.

In response, Busia County has implemented a comprehensive malaria control program, which includes Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), malaria vaccination, case management, and social behavior change initiatives.

Despite ongoing efforts, Kenya faces substantial funding challenges in its fight against malaria. To achieve the Kenya Malaria Strategy’s goal of reducing malaria incidence, shared strategies, resource mobilization and collaboration are our most potent weapons in this fight, said Chris Getonga, the Chairman of EMC, Kenya.

SC Johnson has already committed more than $10 million in advancing spatial repellents, fund malaria preventive education and build new health clinics in rural communities within the country with a goal of manufacturing and processing repellents.