According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya diagnosed and treated over 90,000 TB patients in 2025.
Medics in Isinya Sub-County have raised concern over a rise in new Tuberculosis infections among homeless people, with health workers warning that poor adherence to treatment could be fueling transmission and drug resistance.
The local administration estimates that at least 100 people, mostly men, live in Kitengela's backstreets and along the Export Processing Zone-Viwandani Road, nicknamed the “Green Lodging”, where homeless people spend their daytime dozing.
Records from Kitengela Sub-County Hospital show 65 new infections in the last three months. July recorded 23 new infections, and August and September recorded 21 cases each.
More men than women were affected while two cases of drug-resistant TB were recorded, and two patients died in hospital.
Dr Victor Onderi said the upsurge was alarming, with most patients seeking treatment when the disease was already advanced.
"We have seen a trend of patients turning for treatment in critical conditions, prompting sometimes to deaths when subjected to drugs. The numbers could be much higher considering we have more patients who seek treatment in private hospitals. We have a Manyatta Isolation for Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) at Kajiado referral hospital that has been saving lives," said Dr Onderi.
He dismissed the claim that sharing plastic cups while drinking illicit brew in dingy pubs has been a catalyst for TB. The major driver, he said, is the deplorable living conditions of homeless individuals.
Tony, alias Bazuka, 27, is one of dozens of homeless people suffering from tuberculosis (TB) in Kitengela, a rapidly growing metropolitan town in Kajiado county.
He was diagnosed at Kitengela Sub-County Hospital two months ago after a period of poor health. He has lived on the streets since losing his matatu conductor job three years ago.
"I was consistently coughing and suffering from chest pain. I ignored it, assuming it was emanating from the night cold until one of my friends died after exhibiting the same symptoms. The doctors said he was suffering from TB," said Tony.
"I decided to visit the hospital and I was diagnosed with TB. I have taken my drugs on time but sometimes they take a toll on me due to lack of food," said Tony.
He said at least four homeless people he knew, two women and two men, have died on the streets in the last two months after prolonged illness allegedly linked to TB.
Joseph Kamau, 35, another patient, said a year of street life pushed him to the verge of death. He moved to the streets after his wife left him following irreconcilable family squabbles.
He slept along Mwireri with friends until a month ago, when he was rushed to Kitengela Sub-County Hospital unconscious. After he was diagnosed and put on treatment, his mother, Sarah Njeri, relocated him to Kikuyu Ondiri to recover with relatives, away from the streets.
"Life in the street is carefree. We live in congested areas where we share cigarettes and use common plastic cups to drink illicit brews. Were it not for my mother and friends, I would be dead by now. There is unattended widespread of TB among the homeless people in Kitengela," he said.
Isinya Sub-County Police Commander Simon Lokitari said Kitengela recorded six sudden deaths in the last one month. Postmortems were done on two bodies after relatives agreed, and both victims had died of TB.
"The number of sudden deaths in Kitengela needs close medical attention. Out of six deaths in a month, postmortem was conducted on two bodies and revealed they had died of TB. The other families declined autopsy and signed an affidavit to that effect," said Lokitari.
Justine Musyoka, a Community Health Promoter (CHP) with more than a decade of experience, attributed the upsurge to late diagnosis, widespread opportunistic diseases, sharing of drugs among patients and failure by some patients to complete treatment.
"I know one of TB patients who will be buried on Tuesday (today). We (CHPs) have been combing the streets sensitizing the homeless on TB but most decline to be screened. The new infections have hit hard the homeless in Kitengela, prompting to several deaths recently," said Musyoka.
According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya diagnosed and treated over 90,000 TB patients in 2025, reaching roughly 81 per cent of the estimated people who fell ill that year. Kenya remains among the top 30 countries globally with a high burden of TB and TB-HIV co-infections.
Diagnostic gaps mean about 19 per cent of estimated cases go undetected or unreported annually, posing an ongoing risk of community transmission.
TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and spreads through airborne droplets.
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