TB patient jailed for evading drugs for three years

By Antony Gitonga

NAIVASHA, KENYA A flower farm worker who defaulted in taking his tuberculosis (TB) medication has been jailed for nine months by a Naivasha court.

Ezekiel Karanja Mwangi was further ordered to take his medication in prison while under supervision to stop him from spreading the disease.

Naivasha Principal Magistrate Esther Boke convicted the middle-aged man on his own plea of guilt.

In her ruling, the magistrate admitted the accused posed a major threat to the public due to his condition and failure to take drugs.She ordered the accused be placed under a special unit and be monitored as he ingests his TB medicine.

Karanja had been charged that on November 20, in Naivasha District Hospital and suffering from TB, he failed to take drugs for three years. The accused has been suffering from the infectious disease since 2009.