The County Government of Nakuru is prioritizing eye and ear care within its health care system while reiterating its commitment to ensuring that access to clear vision and proper auditory functions becomes a basic service rather than a privilege.
While noting that eye and ear health is not just a medical issue but central to education outcomes, work productivity, road safety, and the country’s economic resilience, County Executive Committee Member for Health Services Roselyn Mungai emphasized the importance of integrating eye and ear health into the broader health system to achieve universal health coverage.
“To achieve universal health coverage, eye and ear health must be fully integrated into our health system, ensuring equitable access for all, especially the most vulnerable populations. Ear health plays a very critical role in Kenya’s social economic development,” stated Mungai.
The CECM spoke during the unveiling of a four-year Vision Impact Project Scale Up programme designed to strengthen early detection, treatment, and referral networks of eye and ear ailments and complications.
Mungai indicated that the initiative will expand access to specialized eye and hearing care services, directly targeting over 640,000 residents across the 11 sub-counties to eliminate preventable vision and hearing loss.
The programme, funded by Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and implemented in partnership with the County Government and the AGC Tenwek Hospital, targets an estimated 640,257 people and 1,302 schools across sub-counties through community screening, treatment outreaches, cataract surgery, referrals, and improved infrastructure and equipment.
Mungai said the initiative will also strengthen ear and hearing care services, ensuring that residents can access screening and appropriate interventions closer to where they live instead of traveling long distances to referral facilities.
She indicated that low access to eye and ear care services reflects a major gap in Kenya’s health system that requires urgent and coordinated intervention, adding that the partnership would strengthen the county’s efforts to provide specialized healthcare while bringing essential services closer to communities.
She noted that this partnership is a significant step towards ensuring that preventable vision and hearing problems are detected early and managed before they become a major burden to individuals and families.
“By taking screening and treatment closer to communities and strengthening our referral facilities, we are expanding access to specialized care and ensuring that no resident is left behind because of distance, cost, or lack of awareness,” said Mungai.
The CECM observed that strengthening eye and hearing services was particularly important for children and other vulnerable groups, noting that timely intervention could improve learning, independence, productivity, and overall quality of life.
She indicated that the programme is expected to make a significant difference to beneficiaries by providing screening and treatment services closer to their homes, reducing the need to travel to distant health facilities, and improving the chances of detecting conditions before they result in permanent impairment.
Residents requiring specialized intervention said Mungai will be referred for appropriate treatment, including cataract surgery, while schools will provide an important platform for identifying children with undetected vision and hearing problems that may affect their learning and development.
The programme will also strengthen the capacity of health facilities through infrastructure and equipment support, helping to improve the continuity and quality of specialized services from the community level to referral hospitals.
Mungai indicated that the partnership builds on investments by Governor Susan Kihika’s administration in specialized eye care, including the establishment of an optical shop and laboratory at the Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (NCRTH).
She pointed out that through the partnership, Governor Kihika’s administration will establish and strengthen facility-based eye and ear care services while also rolling out periodic medical outreach eye and ear camps across various sub-counties.
The initiative, Mungai elaborated, will further support mass screening and treatment of eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, corneal dystrophies, pterygium, and refractive errors, especially in remote and underserved areas.
“Ophthalmic and otolaryngology care is one of the critical health services that has not received the attention it deserves over the years. However, we remain committed to strengthening eye and ear care services as part of the broader agenda to improve healthcare outcomes across the county. As a leader in healthcare in the region, we will continue investing in eye and ear health to meet global targets and protect the sight and hearing of our people,” she observed.
According to official statistics, only 6.7 per cent of people who need eyesight correction can access care.
Ministry of Health records reveal that Kenya’s current effective refractive error coverage stands at approximately 6.7 per cent.
This means that millions of Kenyans who need simple vision correction, something as basic as a pair of spectacles, do not have access to it.
The statistic underscores the scale of the problem, with health experts warning that uncorrected refractive error is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in Kenya.
Despite being easily treatable, the condition continues to limit opportunities for millions across the country.
Mungai emphasized that the impact of poor vision and hearing extends beyond health, affecting education, economic productivity, and public safety.
“Behind this statistic is a child falling behind in school simply because they cannot see or hear clearly, a worker whose productivity is limited not by lack of skill but by poor vision, and even road traffic accidents that could have been prevented,” she noted.
The CECM said that health workers across the devolved unit were also being urged to champion accessible and quality eye and ear care services, especially at the community level, where the need is greatest.
Experts have described poor vision and hearing in Kenya as a “silent public health crisis,” noting that its effects are often overlooked despite their significant impact on individuals and the economy.
Children with uncorrected vision problems and auditory complications are more likely to struggle in school, affecting their academic performance and long-term opportunities.
For adults, poor vision can limit productivity and reduce earning potential, particularly in sectors that require precision and visual acuity.
In addition, poor eyesight has been linked to increased risk of accidents, including on the roads, posing a broader public safety concern.
“Our role is to promote eye health awareness and advocate for access to quality eye care services. We are dedicated to ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to receive the eye care they need,” added the CECM.
According to the 2026 Nakuru Eye Disease Cohort Study, the most prevalent eye conditions in the region are driving vision impairment and blindness among the population, including cataracts, uncorrected refractive errors, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and conjunctivitis/allergies.
Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital (NCRTH) Director, Dr. Devaraj Santosh noted that the new optical laboratory at the facility has enabled the county referral facility to provide in-house spectacle production services, reducing waiting times and costs for patients requiring prescription glasses.
The facility was established through a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Nakuru County Government under the ATscale Kenya Project and other stakeholders.
Nakuru County currently has five health facilities providing eye services, with NCRTH serving as the main referral center for comprehensive eye care.
Other facilities providing eye services are Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital, Molo, Gilgil, and Bahati hospitals.
Dr. Devaraj Santosh noted that the expansion of services through the Vision Impact Project Scale Up is expected to strengthen this network by linking community-level screening and awareness with primary, secondary, and specialized referral care.
Dr. Santosh observed that the need for expanded eye-care services remains significant, with the country having previously estimated that 15.5 per cent of its population was in need of quality eye-care services.
The National Eye Health Strategic Plan has therefore prioritized improving access to integrated, people-centered eye care, including cataract surgery and refractive error services.
The Vision Impact Project builds on broader efforts to strengthen Kenya’s eye health system.
CBM says its wider Vision Impact Project is designed to strengthen public eye-health systems and improve access to quality eye care for millions of people across the country.
By Caroline Nyakio and Jane Ngugi
