Kenya Launches 5-Year Plan to Combat TB

By Samuel Ouma

Kenya's fight against tuberculosis has received a significant boost after the Ministry of Health launched a five-year plan.

The plan was launched on Monday, January 22, 2024, by Ms Mary Muthoni, Principal Secretary (PS) for Public Health and Professional Standards.

Its primary goal is to address the crisis by incorporating a community-centred Universal Health Coverage initiative.

This involves the deployment of Community Health Promoters for grassroots TB detection.

Speaking during the launch, PS Muthoni decried the rising cases of TB across the country, as many cases in rural areas remain undiagnosed.

According to her, Kenya recorded 90841 TB cases in 2022, compared to 77854 cases in 2021.

"In 2022, Kenya reported a total of 90,560 drug-sensitive TB cases, an increase compared to the 77,854 cases reported in 2021,” said PS Muthoni.

The statistics further show that in 2020, the number of identified cases had dropped to 72,943, indicating that more people with tuberculosis remained untreated.