The chequebook diplomacy that has sustained Kenya’s health sector for decades is facing a reality check. In a compelling new critique, health expert Olugbosi warns that the fight against Tuberculosis (TB) is losing momentum, not for lack of science, but for lack of domestic ownership.

For too long, the battle against this ancient respiratory killer has been fought with foreign ammunition—grants from the Global Fund, USAID, and others. While this support has saved millions of lives, Olugbosi argues it has created a dangerous dependency. With global economic headwinds tightening donor purses, the "urgency" to end TB must now be found in Nairobi’s Treasury, not Geneva or Washington.

A Home-Grown Crisis

TB remains one of Kenya’s leading infectious killers, thriving in the congested informal settlements of Nairobi and the arid lands of the north. "We cannot outsource our survival," the op-ed posits. The reality is that international investment is plateauing. If Kenya wants to meet the WHO’s 2030 eradication targets, the government must put its money where its mouth is.

This calls for a radical shift in health financing. Prioritizing primary healthcare (PHC) networks—the Community Health Promoters who walk the villages—is the most effective way to find the "missing cases," the undiagnosed carriers who unknowingly spread the bacteria.

• The Economic Case: Treating TB is cheap; the cost of inaction is astronomical. A healthy workforce builds the economy. A sick one drains it. Investing in TB control is not charity; it is economic stimulus.
• Domestic Resource Mobilization: The article challenges the private sector and the government to innovate. From health levies to insurance reforms under the new SHIF model, the tools exist. The political will is the missing variable.

The Clock is Ticking

The message is stark: the era of the "white savior" in public health is ending. If we want to eliminate TB, we must treat it as a national emergency, funded by Kenyan taxes and driven by Kenyan policy.

Regardless of international investment, the final blow to TB will be struck at home, or it won't be struck at all.