This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
Kenya's Ministry of Health has abandoned mass COVID-19 testing, citing the high cost and waste of reagents. According to Health Director General Patrick Amoth, mass testing is not viable in middle-income countries like Kenya due to a lack of expertise.
Amoth stated that out of 100 people tested, only 10 are likely to be positive, resulting in the waste of reagents used to test the remaining 90 individuals.
The new strategy, being developed by the national coronavirus task force chaired by Health PS Susan Mochache, will focus on testing individuals who exhibit symptoms of the disease and those in quarantine centers.
As of June 23, the cumulative number of COVID-19 tests conducted in Kenya stood at 146,537, with a total case load of 4,952.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe had earlier stated that the ministry aimed to test 250,000 samples by June, but the current number of tests conducted falls short of this target.
Investigations are underway into the alleged theft of COVID-19 testing kits donated by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma in March.
