UNICEF's country profile for Kenya, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 53.200 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 55.100 Ratio for 2015. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 66.600 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 106.400 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 53.200 Ratio in 2016. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, male is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn male baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to male age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted Average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) in Kenya was reported at 39.9 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 41.500 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.500 Ratio for 2015. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 53.900 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.400 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 41.500 Ratio in 2017. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in Kenya amounted to 34.7. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 78, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 1900, the child mortality rate in Kenya was just over 507 deaths for every 1,000 live births. This means that more than half of all children born in this years did not survive past their fifth birthday. This rate would remain relatively constant through the first thirty years of the 20th century. However, child mortality would begin to sharply fall beginning in the 1930s, in part the result of a rapid modernization campaign between the 1930s to 1950s. In the post-war years, as the use of insecticides such as DDT and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) became more widespread, and several anti-malarial drugs became more widely available, malaria and other insect-borne diseases saw a sharp reduction in Kenya, which, when combined with an expansion of healthcare access throughout the country, led to a large reduction in child mortality from the 1950s to the mid-1980s.

However, in the late 1980s, this downward trend would slow, as an economic depression and the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic would lead to both an increase in complications for children born with the disease, as well as place an increased strain on the Kenyan healthcare system as a whole. After reaching a record low of 106 deaths in 1990, child mortality would rise for the first time in 65 years in 1995 to 108 deaths per 1,000 births. However, thanks in part to significantly improved access to HIV counselling and treatments, progress in malaria eradication efforts, and overall improvement in the economy, child mortality would begin to fall again, and in 2020, it is estimated that for every 1,000 live births, over 95 percent of all children will make it past the age of five.

Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 45.600 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 47.100 Ratio for 2016. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 107.350 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 196.900 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 45.600 Ratio in 2017. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) in Kenya was reported at 44 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

BackgroundDespite the sharp decline in global under-5 deaths since 1990, uneven progress has been achieved across and within countries. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for child mortality were met only by a few countries. Valid concerns exist as to whether the region would meet new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for under-5 mortality. We therefore examine further sources of variation by assessing age patterns, trends, and forecasts of mortality rates.Methods and findingsData came from 106 nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) with full birth histories from 31 SSA countries from 1990 to 2017 (a total of 524 country-years of data). We assessed the distribution of age at death through the following new demographic analyses. First, we used a direct method and full birth histories to estimate under-5 mortality rates (U5MRs) on a monthly basis. Second, we smoothed raw estimates of death rates by age and time by using a two-dimensional P-Spline approach. Third, a variant of the Lee–Carter (LC) model, designed for populations with limited data, was used to fit and forecast age profiles of mortality. We used mortality estimates from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) to adjust, validate, and minimize the risk of bias in survival, truncation, and recall in mortality estimation. Our mortality model revealed substantive declines of death rates at every age in most countries but with notable differences in the age patterns over time. U5MRs declined from 3.3% (annual rate of reduction [ARR] 0.1%) in Lesotho to 76.4% (ARR 5.2%) in Malawi, and the pace of decline was faster on average (ARR 3.2%) than that observed for infant (IMRs) (ARR 2.7%) and neonatal (NMRs) (ARR 2.0%) mortality rates. We predict that 5 countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda) are on track to achieve the under-5 sustainable development target by 2030 (25 deaths per 1,000 live births), but only Rwanda and Tanzania would meet both the neonatal (12 deaths per 1,000 live births) and under-5 targets simultaneously. Our predicted NMRs and U5MRs were in line with those estimated by the UN IGME by 2030 and 2050 (they overlapped in 27/31 countries for NMRs and 22 for U5MRs) and by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) by 2030 (26/31 and 23/31, respectively). This study has a number of limitations, including poor data quality issues that reflected bias in the report of births and deaths, preventing reliable estimates and predictions from a few countries.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this study is the first to combine full birth histories and mortality estimates from external reliable sources to model age patterns of under-5 mortality across time in SSA. We demonstrate that countries with a rapid pace of mortality reduction (ARR ≥ 3.2%) across ages would be more likely to achieve the SDG mortality targets. However, the lower pace of neonatal mortality reduction would prevent most countries from achieving those targets: 2 countries would reach them by 2030, 13 between 2030 and 2050, and 13 after 2050.

Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) in Kenya was reported at 35.6 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 1950, the infant mortality rate in Kenya was 187 deaths for every 1,000 live births. This means that just under 19 percent of all children born in 1950 were not expected to live past their first birthday. However, as the use of insecticides such as DDT and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) became more widespread, and several anti-malarial drugs became more widely available, malaria and other insect-borne diseases (one of the major sources of infant mortality in the country) saw a sharp reduction in Kenya, leading to a large reduction in infant mortality from the 1950s to the mid-1980s.

In the late 1980s, this downward trend would slow, as an economic depression and the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic would lead to both an increase in complications for children born with the disease, as well as increased strain on the Kenyan healthcare system as a whole. After remaining at 74 deaths per 1000 births through the remainder of the 20th century, infant mortality would continue to fall again, in part the result of significantly improved access to HIV counselling and treatments and progress in malaria eradication efforts. In 2020, it is estimated that for every 1,000 live births, there will be 36 deaths before the first birthday.

Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data was reported at 14.900 NA in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of 15.400 NA for 2049. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data is updated yearly, averaging 53.850 NA from Jun 1979 (Median) to 2050, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 119.700 NA in 1979 and a record low of 14.900 NA in 2050. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Under 5 per 1000 Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 30.100 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.500 Ratio for 2015. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 36.000 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.500 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 30.100 Ratio in 2017. Kenya KE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, female is the number of female infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 female live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Kenya KE: Number of Death: Under-5 data was reported at 68,882.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 70,401.000 Person for 2016. Kenya KE: Number of Death: Under-5 data is updated yearly, averaging 84,071.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 126,587.000 Person in 1999 and a record low of 68,882.000 Person in 2017. Kenya KE: Number of Death: Under-5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Number of children dying before reaching age five.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum;

This is a replication dataset for the submitted manuscript "Inpatient and post-discharge mortality among children 5-12 years old in rural Kenya." The data was used in a secondary analysis of children aged 5 to 12 years admitted at Kilifi County hospital from January 2007 to December 2016 and linked with Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) to obtain their vital status one year after hospital discharge. The objective of the study was to describe types of illness leading to admission to hospital and mortality during inpatient and one-year post-discharge periods among children admitted at Kilifi County Hospital, Kenya. The data package contains the following files: Data files a) Over5years_multipleadmissions.dta This file contains clinical, athropometric, CBC, blood & CSF culture at the time of hospital admission (at KCH) for children aged 5 to 12 years from 2007 to 2016. b) over5years_khdss.dta This file contains Vital status in the community following hospital dsicharge. To compute the one-year post-discharge mortality, this file has to be merged with KCH admissions (Over5years_multipleadmissions.dta). c) over5yearschemistry.dta This file has the biochemistry variables that were not systematically collected at admission. This file is used to run a sub-analysis of the chemistry factors assicoated with both inpatient and post-dsicharge mortality. Statistical analysis scripts included; All the three files were generated using STATA/IC (version 15.1; StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). a) 5older years analysis_v1.do This analysis script is used to generate the summary participants characteristics at admission, reasons for admission to hospital and inpatient mortality including factors associated with inpatient deaths. b) post-discharge analysis_over5years.do This analysis script runs the post-discharge analysis. It merges the Over5years_multipleadmissions.dta with the over5years_khdss.dta, computes time under follow-up, post-discharge deaths, mortality rates and factors associated with post-discharge deaths. Data dictionary a) Dataset_codebook.csv This data dictionary contain a list of the variables of data collected at admission and discharge and their description. b) Discharge_diagnosis codes.csv This file contain the list of codes for discharge diagnosis.

The infant mortality rate in Kenya decreased by 1.1 deaths per 1,000 live births (-3.07 percent) compared to the previous year. This marks the lowest infant mortality rate during the observed period. The infant mortality rate is the number of newborns who do not survive past the first 12 months of life. This is generally expressed as a value per 1,000 live births, and also includes neonatal mortality (deaths within the first 28 days of life).Find more statistics on other topics about Kenya with key insights such as fertility rate of women aged between 15 and 19 years old, crude birth rate, and total fertility rate.

Kenya KE: Probability of Dying at Age 5-14 Years: per 1000 Children Age 5 data was reported at 10.200 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.800 Ratio for 2015. Kenya KE: Probability of Dying at Age 5-14 Years: per 1000 Children Age 5 data is updated yearly, averaging 12.100 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.700 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 10.200 Ratio in 2017. Kenya KE: Probability of Dying at Age 5-14 Years: per 1000 Children Age 5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Probability of dying between age 5-14 years of age expressed per 1,000 children aged 5, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average;

Abstract

The 1998 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) is a nationally representative survey of 7,881 wo 881 women age 15-49 and 3,407 men age 15-54. The KDHS was implemented by the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) and the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), with significant technical and logistical support provided by the Ministry of Health and various other governmental and nongovernmental organizations in Kenya. Macro International Inc. of Calverton, Maryland (U.S.A.) provided technical assistance throughout the course of the project in the context of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programme, while financial assistance was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID/Nairobi) and the Department for International Development (DFID/U.K.). Data collection for the KDHS was conducted from February to July 1998. Like the previous KDHS surveys conducted in 1989 and 1993, the 1998 KDHS was designed to provide information on levels and trends in fertility, family planning knowledge and use, infant and child mortality, and other maternal and child health indicators. However, the 1998 KDHS went further to collect more in-depth data on knowledge and behaviours related to AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), detailed “calendar” data that allows estimation of contraceptive discontinuation rates, and information related to the practice of female circumcision. Further, unlike earlier surveys, the 1998 KDHS provides a national estimate of the level of maternal mortality (i.e. related to pregnancy and childbearing).The KDHS data are intended for use by programme managers and policymakers to evaluate and improve health and family planning programmes in Kenya. Fertility. The survey results demonstrate a continuation of the fertility transition in Kenya. At current fertility levels, a Kenyan women will bear 4.7 children in her life, down 30 percent from the 1989 KDHS when the total fertility rate (TFR) was 6.7 children, and 42 percent since the 1977/78 Kenya Fertility Survey (KFS) when the TFR was 8.1 children per woman. A rural woman can expect to have 5.2 children, around two children more than an urban women (3.1 children). Fertility differentials by women's education level are even more remarkable; women with no education will bear an average of 5.8 children, compared to 3.5 children for women with secondary school education. Marriage. The age at which women and men first marry has risen slowly over the past 20 years. Currently, women marry for the first time at an average age of 20 years, compared with 25 years for men. Women with a secondary education marry five years later (22) than women with no education (17).The KDHS data indicate that the practice of polygyny continues to decline in Kenya. Sixteen percent of currently married women are in a polygynous union (i.e., their husband has at least one other wife), compared with 19 percent of women in the 1993 KDHS, 23 percent in the 1989 KDHS, and 30 percent in the 1977/78 KFS. While men first marry an average of 5 years later than women, men become sexual active about onehalf of a year earlier than women; in the youngest age cohort for which estimates are available (age 20-24), first sex occurs at age 16.8 for women and 16.2 for men. Fertility Preferences. Fifty-three percent of women and 46 percent of men in Kenya do not want to have any more children. Another 25 percent of women and 27 percent of men would like to delay their next child for two years or longer. Thus, about three-quarters of women and men either want to limit or to space their births. The survey results show that, of all births in the last three years, 1 in 10 was unwanted and 1 in 3 was mistimed. If all unwanted births were avoided, the fertility rate in Kenya would fall from 4.7 to 3.5 children per woman. Family Planning. Knowledge and use of family planning in Kenya has continued to rise over the last several years. The 1998 KDHS shows that virtually all married women (98 percent) and men (99 percent) were able to cite at least one modern method of contraception. The pill, condoms, injectables, and female sterlisation are the most widely known methods. Overall, 39 percent of currently married women are using a method of contraception. Use of modern methods has increased from 27 in the 1993 KDHS to 32 percent in the 1998 KDHS. Currently, the most widely used methods are contraceptive injectables (12 percent of married women), the pill (9 percent), female sterilisation (6 percent), and periodic abstinence (6 percent). Three percent of married women are using the IUD, while over 1 percent report using the condom and 1 percent use of contraceptive implants (Norplant). The rapid increase in use of injectables (from 7 to 12 percent between 1993 and 1998) to become the predominant method, plus small rises in the use of implants, condoms and female sterilisation have more than offset small decreases in pill and IUD use. Thus, both new acceptance of contraception and method switching have characterised the 1993-1998 intersurvey period. Contraceptive use varies widely among geographic and socioeconomic subgroups. More than half of currently married women in Central Province (61 percent) and Nairobi Province (56 percent) are currently using a method, compared with 28 percent in Nyanza Province and 22 percent in Coast Province. Just 23 percent of women with no education use contraception versus 57 percent of women with at least some secondary education. Government facilities provide contraceptives to 58 percent of users, while 33 percent are supplied by private medical sources, 5 percent through other private sources, and 3 percent through community-based distribution (CBD) agents. This represents a significant shift in sourcing away from public outlets, a decline from 68 percent estimated in the 1993 KDHS. While the government continues to provide about two-thirds of IUD insertions and female sterilisations, the percentage of pills and injectables supplied out of government facilities has dropped from over 70 percent in 1993 to 53 percent for pills and 64 percent for injectables in 1998. Supply of condoms through public sector facilities has also declined: from 37 to 21 percent between 1993 and 1998. The survey results indicate that 24 percent of married women have an unmet need for family planning (either for spacing or limiting births). This group comprises married women who are not using a method of family planning but either want to wait two year or more for their next birth (14 percent) or do not want any more children (10 percent). While encouraging that unmet need at the national level has declined (from 34 to 24 percent) since 1993, there are parts of the country where the need for contraception remains high. For example, the level of unmet need is higher in Western Province (32 percent) and Coast Province (30 province) than elsewhere in Kenya. Early Childhood Mortality. One of the main objectives of the KDHS was to document current levels and trends in mortality among children under age 5. Results from the 1998 KDHS data make clear that childhood mortality conditions have worsened in the early-mid 1990s; this after a period of steadily improving child survival prospects through the mid-to-late 1980s. Under-five mortality, the probability of dying before the fifth birthday, stands at 112 deaths per 1000 live births which represents a 24 percent increase over the last decade. Survival chances during age 1-4 years suffered disproportionately: rising 38 percent over the same period. Survey results show that childhood mortality is especially high when associated with two factors: a short preceding birth interval and a low level of maternal education. The risk of dying in the first year of life is more than doubled when the child is born after an interval of less than 24 months. Children of women with no education experience an under-five mortality rate that is two times higher than children of women who attended secondary school or higher. Provincial differentials in childhood mortality are striking; under-five mortality ranges from a low of 34 deaths per 1000 live births in Central Province to a high of 199 per 1000 in Nyanza Province. Maternal Health. Utilisation of antenatal services is high in Kenya; in the three years before the survey, mothers received antenatal care for 92 percent of births (Note: These data do not speak to the quality of those antenatal services). The median number of antenatal visits per pregnancy was 3.7. Most antenatal care is provided by nurses and trained midwives (64 percent), but the percentage provided by doctors (28 percent) has risen in recent years. Still, over one-third of women who do receive care, start during the third trimester of pregnancy-too late to receive the optimum benefits of antenatal care. Mothers reported receiving at least one tetanus toxoid injection during pregnancy for 90 percent of births in the three years before the survey. Tetanus toxoid is a powerful weapon in the fight against neonatal tetanus, a deadly disease that attacks young infants. Forty-two percent of births take place in health facilities; however, this figure varies from around three-quarters of births in Nairobi to around one-quarter of births in Western Province. It is important for the health of both the mother and child that trained medical personnel are available in cases of prolonged labour or obstructed delivery, which are major causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. The 1998 KDHS collected information that allows estimation of mortality related to pregnancy and childbearing. For the 10-year period before the survey, the maternal mortality ratio was estimated to be 590 deaths per 100,000 live births. Bearing on average 4.7 children, a Kenyan woman has a 1 in 36 chance of dying from maternal causes during her lifetime. Childhood Immunisation. The KDHS

Under-five years and age-stratified all-cause and HIV cause-specific mortality rates per 1,000 live births by time periods, Kenya Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) program, February 2018-March 2022.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric mortality, including measures to ensure continuity of HIV care, is not well described in Kenya. We evaluated causes of death (COD) among decedents under 5 years of age both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. We analyzed Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) data collected in February 2018–March 2022. We describe the proportional contribution of specific conditions in the causal chain of death among decedents aged 28 days to 59 months who underwent minimally invasive tissue (MITS) sampling, had an HIV polymerase chain reaction, and a COD determination. We also calculated all-cause and HIV cause-specific mortality rates using data from two health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) sites in western Kenya. Results were stratified by time periods: February 2018 to February 2020, and March 2020 to March 2022. Among 269 MITS-eligible decedents, 55.8% died during the pre-COVID period. Of these, 53.7% were infants (28 days to 11 months), and 9.7% were HIV-positive. Leading causes of death for infants included malnutrition (20.5%), pneumonia (17.5%), sepsis (17.1%), and malaria (14.5%). For older children (12–59 months), the predominant causes were malaria (25.6%), malnutrition (21.1%), pneumonia (14.1%), and sepsis (13.1%). All-cause mortality rates did not differ significantly between the periods (53.9 vs. 52.8 per 1,000 live births, p=0.77), but HIV cause-specific mortality rates were significantly lower during March 2020–March 2022 compared to February 2018–February 2020 (1.2 vs. 3.1 per 1,000 live births, p=0.01). Malaria, malnutrition, pneumonia, and sepsis were the leading COD among decedents aged 28 days to 59 months enrolled in CHAMPS between February 2018 and March 2022. These findings may point to the need for urgent, focused efforts to prevent avoidable child deaths. Continued monitoring of HIV-related mortality could provide insights into the ongoing impact of the HIV program in the region.