County Government of Kirinyaga has launched a new strategy aimed at strengthening the fight against Tuberculosis (TB) disease through early testing and treatment.
The Kirinyaga County Strategic Operational Framework for Tuberculosis, aims at ensuring the fight against TB and other diseases is well coordinated, data-driven, and community-centered.
Through the strategy, the County government will expand access to TB services in both public and private health facilities, integrating TB care into routine health services and strengthen the disease prevention.
County Executive Committee Member for Health, George Karoki, said current TB infection data presents a worrying number of undiagnosed infections within the population.
“But let us not sugar-coat the situation. We are still missing cases. Too many people, especially men, are coming to hospital late. And when TB is detected late, it spreads further, costs more to treat, and claims more lives,” he said.
Karoki further said that the county also seeks to take disease diagnosis closer to the people and reduce time taken to deliver patient samples to the laboratory diagnostic centres.
To achieve this, the CECM also launched the Kirinyaga County Integrated Sample Referral System Guidelines to guide the timely and efficient transportation of patient samples from even the remotest health facility to the laboratory diagnostic centres at sub-county, county and National referral hospitals.
“It means that a patient in the most remote part of Kirinyaga will no longer be disadvantaged. Their sample will reach the lab faster. Their diagnosis will come earlier. Their treatment will start sooner,” he said.
He cautioned that failure to complete prescribed treatment increases the likelihood of drug-resistant TB, which is more difficult and expensive to manage, adding that adherence is critical to both individual recovery and public health control.
The strategies were announced during the TB Day commemoration held at Nano Grounds in Wang’uru town in Mwea, an area identified as having the highest disease burden in the county, underscoring the urgency of intensified interventions.
Karoki further explained that the newly launched strategies are designed to strengthen case finding, improve linkage to care and ensure continuity of treatment. He said the county is working with private health facilities and community health promoters to identify suspected cases early and refer them for testing.
TB is an airborne infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs, though it can also attack other organs such as the spine, kidneys and brain. It spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks, releasing bacteria into the air.
County Director of Health Services Esbon Gakuo revealed that 1,500 TB cases were diagnosed in 2025.
Kirinyaga currently operates 107 TB service points, including 70 public facilities and 30 private partners, all offering free diagnostic and treatment services.
To enhance diagnostic capacity, the county has installed GeneXpert machines at Kerugoya County Referral Hospital, Kimbimbi, Sagana and Thiba hospitals, enabling rapid and accurate detection of both TB and drug-resistant strains.
A 24-bed TB isolation unit at Kerugoya County Referral Hospital has also been established to management of patients requiring specialized care.
Gakuo said the county has also integrated digital X-ray services to improve early screening and case detection. He urged residents to utilize available services and get tested without delay.
“It is a critical moment for Mwea and the entire county. TB is still a threat, and the best response is early testing,” Gakuo said.
He acknowledged the contribution of healthcare workers and community health promoters in identifying and supporting patients, as well as partners including ADS and CHS for their continued support in TB programmes.
The impact of the disease was reflected in testimonies from survivors who shared their recovery journeys.
Charity Wanjiru Ngatia, aged 30, said she was diagnosed with TB in 2020 after several visits to health facilities. She underwent six months of treatment while pregnant and later delivered a healthy baby.
“I kept going to hospital until the diagnosis was made. I completed my medication as prescribed, even during pregnancy, and today both my child and I are healthy,” she said.
She added that her experience motivated her to encourage others to seek testing early, noting that timely diagnosis made a life-saving difference.
Dorcas Nyawira, aged 26, who was diagnosed in 2019 after significant weight loss, said adherence to treatment played a key role in her recovery.
“Accepting the diagnosis is difficult, but testing is important because TB can affect different parts of the body,” she said.
Nyawira reiterated that anyone experiencing persistent cough, fever, night sweats, fatigue or unexplained weight loss should seek immediate medical attention.
As Kirinyaga sharpens its focus on community-level detection and faster diagnosis, the experts expressed confidence that the combined efforts will reduce undetected cases and accelerate progress toward eliminating TB.
They emphasised that ending TB will depend on early testing, strict adherence to treatment and sustained collective action.
