Kisumu government launches state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic lab

The Kisumu government has launched a state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic laboratory at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital. 

The facility is set to revolutionise the fight against HIV, Covid-19, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

Deputy Governor Mathews Owili highlighted the significance of the lab, emphasising its capacity to improve disease, monitoring, testing and management.

"This facility is a remarkable breakthrough in our health landscape. On this significant occasion, I must foremost thank our partners for identifying KCRH as one of the molecular testing laboratories".

Owili said the choice is not only based on KCRH’s strategic location but also on the hospital’s achievement of international laboratory accreditation status (ISO 15189) and the prevalence of HIV burden in the region.

"As we are all aware, HIV has been a global pandemic since the first cases were reported in Kenya in 1984," he said.

According to a 2018 survey by the Kenya Population-based HIV Impact Assessment, HIV prevalence among adults in Kenya stands at 4.9 per cent, with approximately 1.3 million adults and 139,000 children living with the pandemic.

Kisumu ranks among those jurisdictions with a high HIV burden in Kenya with a prevalence of 14.5 per cent, according to 2023 estimates. 

The latest data, he said has indicated emerging trends in infections where 50 per cent of new cases were established to occur among adolescents and youth. The urgency to deal with this menace is self-evident

The Deputy Governor said this project is a potent intervention.

It will increase the accessibility to molecular diagnostics, reduce turnaround time and encourage early diagnosis.

It will also promote surveillance of public health through multi-disease testing platforms.

"With the molecular laboratory, Kisumu also moves closer towards  eliminating mother-to-child transmission as the facility bolsters our capacity to deal with viral load and early infant diagnosis tests."

Today, Kisumu County's viral coverage is 96.3% and the child transmission rate is six per cent.

Before this facility, the viral load and EID tests were only available at KEMRI Kisian, AMPATH (Eldoret) and Walter Reed Kericho.

"Samples were transported twice a week for testing services with an average waiting time for results between 7-10 days. The cumulative average transport cost for viral load samples from Kisumu to the testing laboratories is KES 30,000 per week".

According to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) developed, the turnaround time will significantly reduce by 85 per cent. Results for the KCRH sample will be relayed on the same day while for peripheral healthcare facilities within the network will be 24-72 hours.

This, Owili said is a remarkable development in advancing timely results for Kisumu citizens and beyond.

The testing platform can offer 2,000 tests per day.

"Our Medical laboratory officers have been trained and mentored and adequately equipped with the knowledge and skills to undertake the testing. The KCRH Laboratory is therefore ready for molecular testing after meeting all the requirements". 

He thanked various stakeholders who made this transformation possible.

"My gratitude to the County Department of Health and KCRH leadership, National Public Health Laboratories, CDC/PEPFAR, Amref Health Africa, CIHEB, PATH, AMPATH and KEMRI Kisian".