MMUST and Partners Review Progress of Newborn Sickle Cell Screening Project in Kakamega County

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), in collaboration with the Kakamega County Department of Health, SolidarMed and DAMKA, have today, 9^th October, 2026, held a meeting to review progress of the project, ‘Saving Newborn Lives Through Point-of-Care Early Diagnosis of Sickle Cell Disease in Kenya’. The partners are assessing their progress towards the set targets, share updates on implementation and appreciate the contributions of each partner in advancing the initiative. The project targets to screen 30,600 newborns over a two-year period across 21 health facilities in Kakamega County. To strengthen community-level screening and expand coverage across all 12 sub-counties, the initiative also seeks to train 420 community health workers and community health promoters to support the identification of newborns who may be at risk of sickle cell disease.

So far, 4,415 newborns have been screened, marking progress towards the project’s overall target. Screening results indicate that approximately 15 per cent of the children screened have haemoglobin variants associated with sickle cell trait or disease. These include children with haemoglobin AS (HbAS), who carry the sickle cell trait, and five identified cases of haemoglobin SS (HbSS), associated with sickle cell disease.

The research team, comprising Dr. Beatrice Mukabane (Principal Investigator), Dr. Edward Khasakhala Okaya (Co-Principal Investigator) and Dr. Roselyne Abwalaba (Co-Principal Investigator), will undertake follow-up guidance and counseling for identified carriers, their caregivers and parents. The sessions will focus on raising awareness about sickle cell disease, inheritance and informed reproductive choices, including understanding the implications of sickle cell trait when choosing a future spouse. Additionally, children identified with HbSS will be linked to appropriate care and follow-up services at clinics across Kakamega County through DAMKA’s initiative.