A free fistula treatment program at Murang’a Referral Hospital on April 18, 2026, assisted 449 women and girls. It brought together the county government, Ministry of Health, M-Pesa Foundation, Flying Doctors, and Amref Health Africa. Virginiah Wanjira received help for her five-year-old daughter with a rare congenital ureteric fistula.
Virginih Wanjira gave birth to her daughter normally without any visible complications. When she reached school age, Wanjira noticed her daughter was wetting herself daily. “I was worried because every time she returned from school she was wet. I started seeking help because I saw it was not normal,” Wanjira says.
She visited several hospitals including Othaya and Kenyatta but faced financial challenges. After thorough tests including kidney scans, bladder and ureter examinations, it was confirmed her daughter had four ureters instead of two, causing urine leakage.
Nurse Solomon Olale from Flying Doctors Society of Africa says congenital ureteric fistula is rare. “In my four years of work I have encountered only four cases of this condition. For this child, the ureters will be joined through surgery to correct the defect,” Olale says.
The April 18 program provided screening, counseling, drug treatment and surgery for various fistulas. M-Pesa Foundation contributed Sh8.1 million to this initiative as part of Sh213 million, helping over 1,500 women. Kenya has about 120,000 women still untreated for fistulas, according to experts.