The Traditional Medicine Landscape in Kenya.

By Stella Njung’e

During the regional forum on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), Ag. Deputy Director, Centre for Traditional Medicine and Drug Research (CTMDR) at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Dr. Jeremiah Gathirwa, made a presentation titled ‘Traditional Medicine Research Landscape in Kenya’, highlighting ongoing efforts to change indigenous remedies into scientifically validated therapies suitable for modern healthcare systems.

The presentation emphasized that although traditional medicine remains widely used across the region, its integration into national health systems depends on scientific evidence demonstrating safety, quality and efficacy.

“Scientific evidence is the bridge between traditional knowledge and national health systems,” Dr. Gathirwa said, adding that validated data strengthens regulatory confidence and supports inclusion of herbal therapies in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programmes.

The presentation described Kenya’s TCIM research ecosystem as growing, multidisciplinary, and increasingly structured, involving academic institutions, public research organizations, regulatory bodies, and community stakeholders, encompassing basic science, translational research, quality control, clinical evaluation, and policyoriented studies. The work follows a structured scientific pathway beginning with documentation of indigenous knowledge and plant identification, progressing through laboratory testing and toxicological evaluation, and advancing to clinical trials.

Researchers are increasingly moving traditional remedies from simple preparations to standardized therapeutic products. Leading from the front, KEMRI has already developed several herbal-based products including Zedupex, Papius Salt, Moringa, addressing infectious diseases, hypertension, oral health and reproductive health conditions. The Institute is also establishing medicinal plant gardens across the country to support sustainable sourcing and conservation of medicinal plant species.

While making his remarks at the forum’s opening ceremony, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ouma Oluga, acknowledged the Institute’s contribution to advancing evidence-based traditional medicine.

“KEMRI has an entire research centre dedicated to traditional and complementary medicine. The centre has established laboratory capacity where some of the medicinal plants used in Africa have been cultured and this speaks directly to one of the key pillars you are discussing: evidence,” he said.

Despite this progress, Dr. Gathirwa’s presentation highlighted challenges within the sector, including fragmented research methodologies, limited collaboration between scientists and traditional practitioners, inconsistent regulatory standards and insufficient funding for research and clinical trials.

To address these gaps, his presentation highlighted the adoption of advanced technologies such as computational modelling, molecular docking and artificial intelligence to better understand how plant-derived compounds work at the molecular level.

“If we cannot measure it scientifically, we cannot integrate it confidently,” Dr. Gathirwa noted, stressing the importance of evidence-driven decision-making in health policy.

Priority research areas for herbal therapeutics include malaria, antimicrobial resistance, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as cancer and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), while Kenya is advocating for regional collaboration through harmonized research protocols and the development of a shared pharmacopoeia across East Africa.

“Policy creates the framework. Science builds the foundation. Regional collaboration delivers impact,” he concluded.

The presentation underscored a much needed shift toward locally driven innovation in healthcare, where traditional knowledge is preserved but strengthened through modern science, with researchers emphasizing that scientific evidence will guide safe uptake of traditional theraputics into public health systems.