Kitui County has emerged as the best-performing county in Kenya in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB), following the release of the 2024 national TB performance scorecard. The county outshone all 46 others after recording exceptional results in diagnosis accuracy, treatment follow-up, and community-level prevention programs.
The achievement comes under the stewardship of Waziri Ruth Koki, the County Executive Committee Member for Health and Sanitation, whose leadership has been widely credited for strengthening health systems across Kitui. Under her watch, the ministry has expanded diagnostic capacity, intensified community health surveillance, and enhanced health worker performance, placing Kitui at the top nationally.
Speaking exclusively to our reporter, Chief Officer for Public Health, Ms. Lynn Kitwan, said the recognition reflects deliberate efforts to safeguard residents’ health through early detection and quality care. She noted that the county has invested heavily in community education, mobile screenings, and improved laboratory services to ensure no TB case goes unnoticed.
Ms. Kitwan emphasized that this milestone aligns closely with the manifesto of Governor Dr. Julius Malombe, who pledged to deliver quality, accessible, and people-centered healthcare to the residents of Kitui. “The governor’s vision has guided our interventions. Strengthening primary health care and ensuring effective disease prevention are central pillars of his development agenda,” she stated.
According to the ministry, the county’s success stems from well-coordinated TB programs, efficient use of modern GeneXpert machines, and rigorous patient follow-up systems that have reduced loss-to-treatment cases. Health workers and community health promoters have also been praised for their dedication in ensuring timely screenings and treatment adherence.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the momentum. Waziri Koki said the county will continue scaling up preventive campaigns and improving service delivery, adding that the goal is not only to maintain the top national ranking but to guarantee a healthier future for every Kitui resident.
The national recognition comes even as the county addresses misleading claims made in October 2025, alleging that TB patients at the Kitui County Referral Hospital (KCRH) were being placed in the same wards as non-TB patients. The Ministry has termed the claims inaccurate and damaging, especially in light of the county’s proven commitment to maintaining high infection control standards.
Chief Officer for Public Health and Sanitation, Lynn Kitwan, has strongly refuted the October allegations, calling them false, misleading, and contrary to the infection control standards practiced at KCRH. She stated, “The claim that TB patients were being placed in the same wards with non-TB patients at KCRH in October is completely false. The hospital observes strict infection prevention and control protocols, ensuring that infectious TB cases are isolated appropriately and never mixed with general ward patients.”
Kitwan added that Kitui’s rise to number one nationally is the result of strengthened systems, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to patient safety. She said the false allegations undermine the dedicated work of healthcare teams and misinform the public, especially at a time when the county is earning national recognition for excellence.
She emphasized that KCRH adheres to rigorous national TB infection prevention and control guidelines, including dedicated isolation rooms, proper ward segregation, mandatory masking, daily monitoring by trained clinicians, separate patient flow, and tight supervision to prevent cross-exposure. Kitwan clarified that at no time including October 2025 were TB patients placed in the same wards as non-TB patients.
To further strengthen TB detection, the county has installed a new X-ray machine at Kanyangi Sub-County Hospital, and national government will procure digital (AI)TB X-ray machines for Zombe Hospital and Kyuso Hospital for enhancing TB screening, early diagnosis, and treatment outcomes across the region.
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