Several studies estimate that on average, five percent of pregnant women and children aged below five years in the rural areas are currently sleeping under such nets, compared to around 13 percent of their urban counterparts who have access to these nets.

Population Services International (PSI), which works with the Ministry of Health in facilitating the delivery of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) to health centres, says more than 55 per cent of the households in urban centres are sleeping under a Supa net.

In a survey done last year by the organization, it was found that only 17 per cent of people in the rural areas have access to their Supa nets compared to 47 per cent in the urban areas.

Overall, with less than 30 percent of the household owning ITNs, analyst are skeptical whether the country will meet the projected target of 60 percent expected to be attained by next year.

Areas mostly affected by this low coverage of ITNs are rural communities and households located in poor urban quarters.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these poor households are estimated to be spending upto 25 percent of their income on malaria prevention and treatment.

Yet, on the national scale, progress on ensuring households access ITNs as one of the key weapon in reducing this cost and in the war against malaria as recognized in the Roll Back Malaria strategy adopted by African Head of States in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2000, is painfully slow.

During the meeting, several governments, including Kenya, were asked to ensure that over 60 per cent of pregnant mothers and children aged below five years sleep under an ITN by 2005. This is the figure that has not been met by now.

Nevertheless, it is hoped that the target on pregnant women and children aged below five years maybe attained between now and 2006.

New strategies of selling treated nets, which are heavily subsidized by Britain’s Department For International Development (DFID), have witnessed a steady rise in nets demanded in the government and other health centres since late last year.

PSI, which has been involved in an aggressive social marketing of these subsidized ITNs, says the initiative to reduce prices of a single net to Sh 50 may just take the country there.