It’s now a fact that the population of mosquitoes in Nairobi, the iconic capital city of Kenya, is exploding at an alarming rate.
According to Hellen
Shikanda, a health correspondent with the Daily Nation of Kenya, “You
may have noticed more mosquitoes lately. They are not the shy type. They do not
care about you trying to swat them. They perch on one part of your body, get
hit and simply move to the next. Their bites leave you scratching for a long
time. Their buzzing is irritating even during the day”.
Why The Upsurge?
But the big question
is: what is behind the sudden rise in the mosquitoes population in Nairobi.
Some analysts say it’s due to the rapid urbanization which the city has been
going through in recent times, while others believe the Gates Foundation has
biologically engineered the ugly development, a claim the foundation has
vehemently refuted.
African
cities have been witnessing rapid urbanisation, with urban populations growing
at an average rate of 3.44% annually, according to the UN World Cities Report 2022. Nairobi
is not an exception, experiencing exponential growth from 290,000 residents in 1960 to
an estimated of 5 million in 2023.
Over 60% of Nairobi’s population resides in informal settlements, a substantial increase from 33% four decades
ago.
The
challenges faced by Nairobi’s informal settlements are multifaceted. They include
water, sanitation, and hygiene, environmental concerns, health and a host of
others.
Many
believe the reason there is an upsurge in the population of mosquitoes in
Kenya, particularly in Nairobi, is due to a combination of unusually warm
temperatures, erratic rainfall, and rapid, unplanned urbanization. These
conditions accelerate breeding cycles and create ample stagnant water for
larvae, with some species developing from egg to adult in just seven
days.
Climate Change & Heat
are a big factor in this regard. Warmer temperatures shorten the mosquito life cycle
and increase survival rates, enabling faster reproduction. Stagnant Water & poor Sanitation also
play a major role in the rapid increase in the population of mosquitoes in
Nairobi. Poor drainage systems, uncollected waste, and blocked sewer
lines create, ideal breeding sites.
Again, as earlier mentioned, rapid development and
building projects in the city often leave behind stagnant water in containers
and foundations, creating, artificial breeding grounds.
Urbanization is not only
about building constructions; it is also about population. Increased human density provides
more opportunities for mosquitoes, particularly the Culex species, to breed in
residential areas.
Bill Gates And The Upsurge Of Mosquitoes
In Nairobi
Amidst all this comes the allegation that Bill Gates
is behind the sudden spike in mosquitoes in Kenya. The social media was
recently awash with claims that he is funding a biological engineering of
mosquitoes in the country for the purpose of research. The claims, led by
politician Paul Muite on X, suggested genetically modified mosquitoes were
being released to target malaria, but instead were biting children and the
elderly. However, the Gates Foundation has come out to dispel these rumours.
In a
statement, the foundation said it doesn't release mosquitoes, insisting it
doesn’t run labs that do. It stressed that all their work in Kenya follows
national laws and local oversight.
Their
role, they say, is to support Kenyan-led health priorities, working alongside
the government, researchers, and public health partners, not dictate policy or
bypass local authorities.
While
the social media posts sparked a lot of concern, malaria prevention in Kenya has
remained firmly in the hands of the National Malaria Control Programme, which
handles insecticidal nets and indoor spraying.
“The
Gates Foundation does fund research into innovative tools, like the World
Mosquito Program and Target Malaria, but all operations in Kenya are handled by
local experts under strict regulation,” the statement read.
With
malaria still a major public health challenge, the foundation says it’s crucial
for people to separate fact from fiction, and keep the focus on effective,
locally-led prevention efforts.
What Experts Have To Say Concerning The Upsurge
Dr Eric Ochomo, an
entomologist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri), says they have
noticed an alarming increase in the population of mosquitoes in Nairobi. Kemri
scientists run active surveillance on 60 sites across the country. Dr Ochomo
explains that there are currently two kinds of mosquitoes spreading in Nairobi.
These, he says, are the Aedes and the Culex. The Aedes mosquitoes appear mostly
in the daytime ; they are bigger in size and are black and white and therefore
easy to notice from a distance. Their bites are quite painful, and even after
biting, they do not fly far away. “They are lazy mosquitoes and can be quite
stubborn,” he says.
According to him, the
Aedes breed very rapidly in open water tanks, old tyres, shallow containers and
open sewers. The Culex mosquitoes, on the other hand, are loud and come out
mostly at night. They are also easy to notice because of their large size.
Dr Ochomo also revealed
that the Anopheles mosquitoes, which is the species that transmit malaria
parasites, have not yet been recorded as one of those whose population is currently
rising in Nairobi.
Nairobi Not A Malaria Prone Zone
According to the World
Health Organization (WHO), Nairobi is generally classified as a low-risk or
malaria-free zone, with a very low, stable incidence rate (<1% parasite
prevalence) due to its high altitude,
though it remains a
common diagnosis in local clinics, accounting for 11% of pediatric cases. While
cases nationwide have risen (27% in 2025),, urban areas
like Nairobi do not
experience the high-rate, rapid increases seen in rural Kenya.
But even with these subtle
assurances, experts believe the sudden upsurge in the population of mosquitoes
in the city is something to worry about. If the prevailing conditions in
Nairobi encourage the spread of the Aedes and Culex, these same conditions can
also trigger the rise of Anopheles, they argue.
Poor Sanitation As A Major Driver
Dr Ochomo says the main
driver of mosquitoes increase in Nairobi is poor sanitation. “When you don’t
drain water and it is warm, mosquitoes find a breeding ground. Mosquito matures
from larva to adult within just seven days. Mosquitoes lay large numbers of eggs,
up to 500 at a time. If the temperature is warm, the breeding is further
accelerated. Imagine if all those eggs become adults; they will be everywhere,”
he says.
He says counties need
to grasp the situation and tackle the sanitation problem squarely because
climate change is already happening. In Nairobi, a number of high-rise
buildings are going up to meet the housing demands of people moving from rural
areas to urban centres. On many construction sites, temporary soak pits are
used and Dr Ochomo explains that as long as that water is there and is
stagnant, it will be a very good breeding site for mosquitoes.
Conclusion
Experts say stopping
the increase of mosquitoes in Nairobi requires a combination of community-level
environmental management and individual protection measures, particularly because
warmer temperatures and increased rains from climate change are accelerating
breeding. The focus should be on destroying breeding sites and preventing
entry into homes.
And what is true of Nairobi is equally true of
most rapidly urbanizing African cities like Lagos, Nigeria; Kinshasa, DRC; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Luanda, Angola Bujumbura, Burundi; , Zinder, Niger; , Kampala, Uganda; ,
Kabinda, Congo; , Mbouda,
Cameroon; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Abuja, Nigeria and many others.
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