The National Malaria Reference Laboratory (NMARL) is a public health laboratory facility established by the Ministry of Health (MOH) with the mandate to offer reference malaria services and oversee all quality assurance programs in malaria diagnosis. NMARL operates within regulatory standards set by Kenya Medical Technicians and Technologist Laboratory Board.

NMARL provides a comprehensive range of services which are: evaluation of new Laboratory methods for malaria diagnosis, quality assurance (slide rechecking and provision of malaria proficiency tests panels), molecular diagnosis, competency assessment, formulation of policy guidelines, and inter laboratory networking.

Manager Profile

Rosebella Rotich is a Medical Laboratory Technologist with a Master of Science degree in Laboratory management and Epidemiology. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree holder in Biochemistry.

Rosebella is a WHO accredited Malaria microscopist/Malaria microscopy TOT trainer.

Laboratory sections

Slide rechecking

Functions

  • Maintaining malaria slide bank
  • External Quality Assurance through slide rechecking
  • Proficiency testing
  • Routine malaria surveillance

Molecular

Functions

  • Outbreak investigations
  • Molecular diagnosis
  • Genomic surveillance of malaria
  • Drug susceptibility testing

Training

Functions

  • Malaria Quality Assurance
  • National External competence Assessment of Malaria Microscopists
  • Malaria microscopy refresher trainings

Validation

Functions

  • mRDTs lot to lot validation
  • Evaluation of malaria products and equipments
  • Post market surveillance of mRDTs

Ongoing projects and implementing partners

ProjectProject objectives/ implementing partners
Malaria Therapeutic Efficacy Study

To assess the therapeutic efficacy of Artemether Lumefantrine (AL) and Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine (DHP) for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Siaya and Bungoma counties, Kenya.
1.    Ministry of Health, Kenya (DNPHL, DNMP)
2.    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
3.    Impact Malaria, Jhpiego, Kenya
4.    World Health Organization
Histidine Rich Protein Gene Deletion StudyTo determine whether the local prevalence of deletions in the P. falciparum hrp2/3 genes causing false-negative HRP2 RDT results among symptomatic falciparum patients has reached a threshold that might require a national or subnational change in malaria RDTs.
1.Ministry of Health, Kenya (DNPHL, DNMP)
2.World Health Organization
3. KEMRI-Welcome Trust Kilifi/Kisumu
Malaria Slide BankTo maintain high-quality characterized slides to support quality assurance programs and malaria microscopy refresher trainings in Kenya.
1.    Ministry of Health, Kenya (DNPHL, DNMP)
2.    Impact Malaria, Jhpiego, Kenya
3.    AMREK-Kenya

Test menu

Test Walk-in/Referral service Free/chargeable Expected TAT 
mRDT malaria testing Walk-in Free  30 mins 
Malaria Microscopy testing Walk-in Free  60 mins 
Molecular diagnosis Referral  Free  24 hours 
Drug susceptibility testing Referral  Free  2 weeks 

List of accreditations/licensure

  • Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians & Technicians Board (KMLTTB) practicing licenses
  • ISO 15189 standards – KENAS
  • ISO 17043 standards – KENAS

Contact us

nmarleqa@nphl.go.ke

+25472394879

Downloads