In the sun-scorched plains of Kajiado, a silent assassin is stalking children, leaving a trail of swollen bellies and shattered families in its wake.

Kala-azar, a neglected tropical disease, has surged back with a vengeance, thriving in the neglect of Kenya’s arid lands. While the country focuses on lifestyle diseases, this sandfly-borne killer is claiming the lives of the poorest, exposing a healthcare system that has turned its back on the margins. The story of Agnes Musana’s niece, who fought for her life against an unknown enemy, is the story of thousands of children in the ASALs.

The Stalking Death

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), or kala-azar, is ruthless. It attacks the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. Without treatment, it is almost always fatal. In Kajiado West, children playing near anthills—the breeding ground of the sandfly—are the primary victims.

The disease creeps in quietly with fever and weight loss, often mistaken for malaria, before bloating the abdomen in a grotesque mockery of malnutrition. By the time many families seek help, the parasite has already wreaked havoc. The scars on the children's stomachs, from traditional incisions made in a desperate bid for a cure, tell a tragic tale of ignorance and lack of access to modern medicine.

A Systemic Failure

The outbreak is not limited to Kajiado. Wajir, Mandera, and Turkana are also besieged. Yet, the response remains sluggish.

• Diagnostic Gap: Rapid diagnostic tests are scarce in rural dispensaries, forcing patients to travel hundreds of kilometers for a confirmed diagnosis.
• Preventable Tragedy: This is a disease of poverty. Sleeping under treated nets and spraying anthills can stop it, but resources are thin.
• The Unsung Heroes: Community Health Promoters (CHPs) are the only line of defense, moving door-to-door to educate families. They are the unsung heroes in a war the government seems reluctant to fight.

The Sandfly’s Curse

Kenya has a master plan to eliminate NTDs by 2027, but plans do not save lives—action does. As climate change expands the sandfly's habitat, the threat is growing. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-15)

Until the government treats a child in Kajiado with the same urgency as one in Nairobi, Kala-azar will continue to be a death sentence signed by neglect.