Kenya's COVID-19 caseload is approaching the 100,000 mark as the country's health ministry reports a steady increase in the number of infections.

The ministry on Sunday reported 80 new cases, taking the country's total number of infections to 99,162.

The country's total number of virus-related fatalities also rose to 1,731 as the ministry announced that three patients had died in the last 24 hours.

Kenya's caseload is the ninth-highest in Africa, only shadowed by tallies recorded by South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Nigeria and Algeria.

Its death toll is the seventh-highest on the continent.

The ministry of health also announced that 26 patients had recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 82,350.