Accurate diagnosis to establish the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is critical in the control of TB because of the mode of transmission of the disease. Although both ZN and kinyoun are over 100 years old, these methods are most economical in terms of processing time, needed equipment and personnel. These smear detection tests differentiate infectious from noninfectious cases. The use of cold method on processed sputum is increasing in low-income, high prevalent countries as it is less demanding. Objective The main objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the two smear microscopy methods for the detection of tubercle bacilli in the sputum by comparing the sensitivity, specificity and validities of kinyoun method against ZN. The study also compared the sensitivities of kinyoun and ZN against culture as the gold standard of TB diagnosis. Materials and Method 1 The work was carried out at the Zonal Reference Laboratory of the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Plateau State. Seventy-two concentrated early morning sputum from treatment-naïve pulmonary tuberculosis suspects were simultaneously stained by ZN and kinyoun and then cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen media.