By Monica Nashon
The National Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cancer care across the country with the completion of a new cancer centre in Kisii County, aimed at reducing deaths and easing the financial burden on patients.
Speaking during an inspection visit to the facility nearing completion, Principal Secretary for Medical Services Dr. Ouma Oluga said cancer remains a major public health concern in Kenya.
According to Dr. Oluga, more than 29,000 Kenyans die from cancer annually, while approximately 45,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Currently, over 100,000 Kenyans are undergoing treatment.
He noted that Kenya has only six comprehensive cancer treatment centres, a situation that has overstretched services and forced many patients to travel long distances for care.
“Cancer is one of the leading causes of premature death in Kenya. More painfully, treatment is expensive and often drives families into poverty,” said Dr. Oluga.
He revealed that the government recently supported cancer centres in Garissa and Mombasa and is keen on expanding access countrywide.
Dr. Oluga emphasized that the government has strengthened the Social Health Authority (SHA) package to cushion patients from financial hardship.
Through agreements with pharmaceutical companies such as Roche, the cost of some breast cancer drugs has been reduced from KSh 120,000 to approximately KSh 38,000.
The government is also engaging other drug manufacturers to further lower costs, with a target of reducing cancer medicine prices by more than 60 percent.
“We want to ensure that cancer care is accessible and affordable. Once we complete the centres and reduce medicine costs, we must also ensure we have well-trained healthcare workers to operate the equipment,” he added.
The Kisii project, which had stalled for some time, resumed late last year and is expected to be completed by the end of the year following a directive from the President.
Centre of Excellence for Western Kenya
Principal Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy Stephen Isaboke described the project as a key component of the government’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
He said the centre will serve not only Kisii County but the wider Western Kenya region, where cases of cervical, breast, colorectal, and vaginal cancers are on the rise.
“Cancer is increasingly affecting people in rural areas. This centre of excellence will support research and provide specialized care closer to the people,” said Isaboke.
Currently, many patients from the region travel to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi or Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, often enduring long overnight journeys.
The project is being supported through collaboration with King’s College London.
Professor Graham Lord from King’s College London said the partnership aims to enhance cancer research and ensure patients in Kisii receive care that meets global standards.
“One of our early missions was to help address cancer challenges in Kenya. Kisii has become central to this vision. We are here to support, advise, and ensure that care here is as good as anywhere in the world,” he said.
Professor Lord added that King’s College London runs several cancer centres in the United Kingdom and will support training and knowledge exchange to elevate standards of care.
Kisii Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo expressed confidence that the project will be completed on time and serve residents of Kisii County and beyond.
“We believe this project will greatly benefit our people and even serve patients from across Kenya and neighbouring countries,” he said.