Rapid diagnostic tests are the backbone of point-of-care work in Kenya. They let a clinic in Kitale or a laboratory in Nakuru give a patient an answer in fifteen minutes instead of sending a sample away and hoping the patient comes back. This is our current 2026 price list, with notes on what each test does and does not tell you.
Rapid test kit prices in Kenya: 2026 price list
Prices are per kit. Kit sizes vary by test, so confirm the pack count when you order if you are budgeting per patient.
| Test kit | Price |
|---|---|
| Pregnancy Test Strips | KSh 300 |
| Widal Test Kit | KSh 850 |
| Malaria Rapid Test | KSh 1,000 |
| VDRL Test Kit | KSh 1,100 |
| ASOT Test Kit | KSh 1,200 |
| RF (Rheumatoid Factor) Test Kit | KSh 1,200 |
| Hepatitis B Test Kit | KSh 1,200 |
| H. Pylori Ag Rapid Test | KSh 1,800 |
| H. Pylori Ab Rapid Test | KSh 2,000 |
| Salmonella Ag Rapid Test | KSh 2,000 |
| Salmonella Ab Rapid Test | KSh 2,000 |
| Hepatitis A Test Kit | KSh 2,000 |
| Hepatitis C Test Kit | KSh 2,500 |
| HIV Test Strips | KSh 6,500 |
| Cholera Test Kit | KSh 8,000 |
| Drug of Abuse Test Kit | KSh 12,000 |
Browse the full rapid test kits range and the wider laboratory and diagnostics category for analysers, centrifuges, microscopes and consumables.
Antigen or antibody: the distinction that changes the answer
Several tests above are offered in both Ag and Ab versions, and choosing the wrong one produces a confident but useless result.
An antigen (Ag) test looks for part of the organism itself. A positive result means the organism is present now. This is what you want when you are asking whether this patient has this infection today, which is why the H. pylori antigen test on stool is the appropriate choice for diagnosing active infection.
An antibody (Ab) test looks for the immune response. Antibodies take days to weeks to appear and can persist long after the infection has cleared or been treated. A positive antibody test therefore means exposure at some point, not necessarily current disease. Using an H. pylori antibody test to confirm eradication after treatment is a classic error, because it will stay positive.
A note on the Widal test
Widal remains one of the most requested tests in Kenya and one of the most over-interpreted. Because it detects antibodies, and because prior typhoid exposure and vaccination are common here, a single raised titre in isolation is weak evidence. Paired samples showing a rising titre are far more meaningful, and the salmonella antigen test is the more direct question. We stock Widal because clinicians and patients ask for it, but if you are setting up a new laboratory, specify antigen testing as your primary tool for suspected enteric fever.
Storage will decide whether your results are real
Almost every rapid test failure we investigate comes down to storage or timing rather than the kit. Cassettes and strips are specified for storage between roughly 2 and 30 degrees Celsius. A store room under an iron roof in Mombasa or Lodwar exceeds that on most afternoons, and heat-degraded kits fail silently by producing false negatives.
Keep stock in the coolest room you have, out of direct sunlight, in the sealed foil pouch until the moment of use. Bring refrigerated kits to room temperature before opening or condensation will form on the membrane. Read the result inside the stated window, because a line appearing an hour later is not a positive. And run the control line check on every single test; if the control line does not appear, the result is void regardless of what else you can see.
Questions we are asked most often
Are these kits approved for use in Kenya?
We supply kits intended for professional diagnostic use. For programme work, and particularly for HIV testing, confirm the specific product against the current National Public Health Laboratory and Ministry of Health approved testing algorithm before you standardise on it, since national algorithms are periodically revised.
Do you supply in bulk to programmes and county facilities?
Yes. Contact us with your annual volumes for tender and framework pricing, and we can also import specific brands on your behalf where a programme mandates a particular product.
How long do the kits last?
Shelf life is printed on each pouch and typically runs 18 to 24 months from manufacture. Order to your actual consumption rather than stockpiling, and rotate stock so the oldest is used first.
What else does a small laboratory need?
Beyond rapid tests, a functioning small lab needs a centrifuge, a microscope, a haematology or chemistry analyser depending on your test menu, a refrigerator dedicated to reagents, and a steady supply of laboratory consumables.
Setting up a laboratory
Our laboratory starter pack lists the equipment and consumables a new lab needs, and our community outreach pack covers mobile and camp testing where power and cold chain are the limiting factors.
