Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu on Tuesday announced that 79 Kenyans in critical condition were in Nairobi hospitals suffering from cholera.
Cholera is a serious waterborne disease that affects the small intestine and can kill within hours if left untreated.
Surprisingly, the disease is preventable through the use of a common household item, chlorine, that is commonly found in bleach or water treatment solutions.
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that two drops of the solution be put in one litre of drinking water 30 minutes before use.
The solution can also be put in water that is used around the house for cooking and other purposes where boiling the water is not feasible.
Other hygiene practices that help prevent the disease include washing hands with soap and water, using a latrine where toilets are not available and keeping the kitchen clean.
Eating food while it is still hot, cooking meats thoroughly and peeling fruits also help prevent cholera infections.
Kenya also has an oral vaccine, under the brand name Shanchol, that is administered to family members of an infected person to prevent transmitting it.
Four people have so far been reported dead following the outbreak, with earlier cases having been reported among guests who had attended a wedding in Karen.
Read More: Cholera Outbreak Claims Lives of 3 People After a Wedding in Karen
More recently, a groom-to-be died after eating contaminated samosas at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Read More: Man Dies of Food Poisoning After Taking Samosas at KICC
