Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale today met with international eye care partners, led by Moses Chege, to review preparations for the 2030 In Sight Live Conference, scheduled to take place in Kenya from 4–6 June 2026.
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has scheduled the event to foster accelerated initiatives towards the elimination of avoidable blindness by 2030 and pave the way for the 2026 Global Summit for Eye Health planned to run on November in Antigua and Barbuda.
CS Duale underscored during the consultations the need for cooperation between development partners, professional bodies, civil society, faith-based organizations, and the private sector in developing the country’s eye health profile.
In 1990, 0.7% was recorded as a blind prevalence rate. However, according to WHO data, this number reduced to 0.37% in 2023 thanks to increased provision of cataract surgeries, greater specialist availability in 40 out of 47 counties, strong school eye health initiatives, and trachoma eradication in some areas.
Nonetheless, there are some issues that need to be considered. There is a lack of skilled health professionals, particularly in areas that have been neglected and are known as Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL).
There are financial and logistical barriers that make access to eye health services difficult. Eye health services are part of the SHA, and the packages on optical and special care are still being reviewed.
Kenya continues to be dedicated to attaining the WHO 2030 targets that include increasing cataract surgery coverage by 30% and extending refractive errors coverage by 40%.
The above objective will require the development of skills among the workforce, improvement of infrastructure, sustainability in financing, and multi-sectoral cooperation.
The talks CS. Duale had indicated Kenya’s desire to maintain its track record regarding the prevention of avoidable blindness.
